A helicopter service in Maldives is unheard of but under the umbrella of “Project Elevate Maldives,” which enables island air mobility for drones and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft operations, Air Chateau DWC, a helicopter and vertiport operator based in Dubai, Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL), a state-owned company of the Maldives, and Wings Capital Management of Abu Dhabi, UAE, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of forming a collaborative partnership, in an effort to bring VVIP & HNI air taxi operations, commercial cargo and passenger operations with eVTOLs, and advanced air mobility infrastructure throughout the Maldives.
Regional Airport Company Limited, the government body in charge of domestic airport operations, Air Chateau, a helicopter operator based in Dubai, and Wings Capital Management, a project management facilitator, plan to form a public-private partnership in order to carry out the helicopter service in Maldives project. Through this collaboration, AirChateau will build a droneport and vertiport network connecting more than 1,200 islands in the Maldives.
According to RACL’s managing director, Ahamed Mubeen, the company now runs eight airports in different parts of the Maldives and plans to grow to fifteen in the near future in accordance with ongoing planning initiatives from the government. “This unique opportunity positions us as an ideal partner for investors in the aviation sector. We are pleased to establish this understanding with globally recognized firms like Wings Capital Management and Air Chateau,” said Mubeen.
Air Chateau will be granted operating rights by RACL, the state’s privilege to operate helicopters and eVTOL operations in the Maldives for 20 years, along an island network that stretches approximately 180 nautical miles from the capital city of Male towards the northern and southern regions of the country. In addition, the business will be in charge of luring foreign direct investment into the undertaking.
According to Dr. Samir Mohammed, Chairman of Air Chateau, “The Maldives presents a unique opportunity for us, especially within the tourism and mobility sectors. With a total addressable market for air tourism transfers estimated at around half a billion dollars annually, the Maldives exemplifies the potential for Island Air Mobility (IAM), similar to Regional Air Mobility (RAM) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Our helicopters and future eVTOL operations will simply complement the existing transportation modes, creating a synergistic and convenient hub-and-spoke system.”
With Touch Down and Lift-Off (TLOF) areas, Final Approach and Take-Off (FATO) zones, safety zones, terminal waiting halls, and charging and fire-retardant infrastructure, the project intends to build up to 100 hybrid vertiports over 1,200 islands. Furthermore, the initiative aims to establish 500 drone ports specifically for cargo operations, facilitating logistics in the first, middle, and last mile. Each port will be furnished with fire-retardant systems and charging stations.
It has been determined that the “Elevate Maldives” project is compatible with carbon credits and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Recently, the Maldives’ Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation extended an invitation to businesses expressing interest in offering helicopter services for emergency evacuations and tourism. A 10-year exclusive contract to operate helicopter services across the country will be awarded to the winning bidder. This covers air ambulance services based on helicopters as well as transportation for tourists. No other business will be permitted to provide such services in the Maldives during this time.
