A number of people are wary of staying near Male for fear of hearing airplanes taking off, but actually the planes you hear the most are the iconic seaplanes. I have actually found the whir of the seaplane engines part of the exotic allure of the destination. Shades of Fantasy Island’s exclamation “Da plane, da plane!” These turboprops have long been a favourite photo prop for the Maldives fashionista crowd.
With the collapse of the aviation industry with the global pandemic, despite living near one of the world’s busiest airports (Heathrow), the skies have been relatively empty for months. Now the contrails are starting to return to up above taking people back to far flung destinations and it’s almost a special occasion when we see one. Today is National Aviation Day (USA) so a chance to celebrate these distinctive steel birds taking guests to the far away dream destinations.
- Nicole Elgin (USA) – Drift Thelu Veliga
- Nancy (Thailand) – Sun Island
- Mai Ka (Poland) – Heritance Aarah
- Urvashi Rautela (India) – Sun Siyam Irufushi
- Olga (Russia) – Dhigali
- Urvi Shetty (India) – Kandima
- Beth Walkemeyer (Australia) – W Maldives
- Lisa Homsy (Canada) – Kandolhu
- Sakshi Malik (India) – LUX South Ari Atoll
- Svetlana Lewis (Russia) – Furaveri
- Dashama (USA) – Angsana Velavaru
- Anna Bella (Russia) – Fushifaru
- Sky Kiki Jung (Thailand) – Centara Ras Fushi
- Carolina Dargel (Belarus) – NIYAMA
- Maria (Russia) – Furaveri
- Karina Zhosan (Ukraine) – Conrad Rangali
- Alena Omovych (Russia) – Furaveri
- Sanja Papić Ognjanović (Panama) – Sun Siyam Irufushi
- Hofit Golan and Josephine Forsberg (Israel) – Hideaway Beach
- Julia Raz (United Kingdom
- Mary Nova (Russia) – NIYAMA
- Parlikah (Thailand) – Six Senses Laamu
- Alexandra Sotnik (Russia) – Meedhupparu
- Rosanna Cordoba (Columbia) – Conrad Rangali
- Siobhan (Ireland) – Sirru Fen Fushi
- Aditi Rao Hydari (India) – Soneva Fushi
- Adriana Hughes (OAE) – Sun Siyam Irufushi
- Helen Owen (USA) – Six Senses Laamu
- Belle Lucia (Australia) – Cocoon
- Arinka Nazarova and Ekaterina (Russia) – Paradise Island
- Olga Titova (Russia) – Sun Siyam Irufushi
- Fer Espiritu (Mexico) – Vommuli
- Claudia Padgett (United Kingdom) – Soneva Fushi
- Zaki (Russia) – Furaveri
- Viktoriya Kabochkina (Russia) – Drift Thelu Veliga
- Anyuta Rai (Russia) – Hurawalhi
- Alena Yurzina (Russia) – NIYAMA
- Miss Huinii (South Korea) – Vommuli
- Wendy Gates (USA) – Velaa
- Natasha Ivanovs (Russia) – Sun Siyam Irufushi
- Maria Martelo Perez and Irina Dreyt (Columbia) – One & Only Reethi Rah
- Talia Richman (Australia) – Finolhu
- Ming Arinmas (Thailand) W Maldives
- Nudee Thoedsukbodee (Thailand) – Cheval Blanc Randheli
- Anna Barykina (Russia) – Sun Siyam Irufushi
- Camila Storchi (Brazil) – Sun Island