Etihad and Maldivian Announce Interline Partnership

Etihad and Maldivian, the flag carrier airline of the Maldives, have joined forces to simplify travel to and from the Maldivian archipelago, in the name of a bilateral interline agreement.

This means that travelers visiting the Maldives will be able to connect seamlessly between Etihad and Maldivian flights, including passengers arriving from or departing to the U.S.

“This interline will elevate the overall customer experience across the entire journey,” said Arik de, chief revenue officer at Etihad. “Facilitated by smooth connections from Malé, Etihad customers can easily transition to Maldivian’s services, reaching a wide range of domestic destinations to begin their idyllic island retreat.”

The news comes 3 months after fellow UAE carrier, Emirates, announced a similar partnership with the Maldivian.

Here’s what Etihad and Maldivian’s interline agreement means for travel to the Maldives.

Etihad and Maldivian’s New Interline Agreement

Getting to your luxury resort in the Maldives isn’t as simple as flying to Malé.

The island nation is spread over hundreds of miles, with a total of 527 miles between Gan (GAN), its most southern airport, and Hoarafushi (HRF), it’s most northern.

Depending on the location of your hotel, you then have to transfer onto either a speedboat, a seaplane, or a Maldivian Airlines flight.

Using a seaplane or a speedboat to travel sometimes over an hour to get to your final destination can also add several hundred dollars more per person to your trip.

This new interline agreement, which enables bags to be checked from your departure airport right through to your final Maldivian destination (and vice versa) on 1-ticket itineraries, could make your journey between Malé and your resort far more streamlined and hopefully less costly.

The 16 airports included in the interline agreement are:

Flying to Maldives With Etihad

As it stands, Etihad flies nonstop to Abu Dhabi (AUH) from 5 cities in North America: Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), Toronto (YYZ), and Washington D.C (IAD).

From Abu Dhabi, Etihad currently offers 10 weekly nonstop services to Malé (MLE) — the main international airport of Maldives and hub airport for flag carrier Maldivian.

From January 1, 2024, this route will increase to 14 weekly flights.

Final Thoughts

With the recent interline agreement between Etihad and Maldivian, travelers who live in Boston, Chicago, New York, Toronto, or Washington, D.C., or who plan to reposition to one of these cities for their Maldives journey, may find their trip to the stunning Maldives more convenient and possibly even less expensive.