“Hong Kong is a very important market for us. We take Hong Kong very seriously. Unfortunately, we will not be able to operate before the end of this year due to delays in aircraft deliveries,” he said.
“Hong Kong is one of the markets we would like to see on the Beond network in 2025. We see a lot of demand from Hong Kong among existing airlines and also from mainland China.”
The Malé-based airline launched its service last November and currently offers connections to five destinations, including Dubai in the Middle East, Munich in Germany, Zurich in Switzerland and Milan in Italy.
The airline hopes to launch a non-stop service to Hong Kong next year with a flight duration of around 6.5 hours, subject to securing aircraft and government approval.
Taskila added that the company aims to add three to five mainland destinations next year, depending on the progress of new aircraft deliveries and bilateral agreements with Beijing.
“We are pleased with the progress and want to be part of this structure that contributes to the success of these two nations,” he said.
In addition, the airline currently operates two aircraft – an Airbus A319 with only 44 seats, while other airlines fit 150 economy class seats in the same aircraft, and another, larger aircraft, the Airbus A321, with 68 seats instead of the standard 220.
The airline has not announced fare details between Hong Kong and Malé, However, Taskila promised that airfares would be competitive through special offers to attract passengers from Hong Kong.
“I am sure we will offer attractive prices to the people of Hong Kong. We want to make our product affordable and give everyone the opportunity to use our service,” he said.
Taskila expected significant demand from Hong Kong and planned to carve out a niche in the luxury holiday travel market, targeting affluent passengers looking for special holiday experiences.
“We focus on luxury vacationers and don’t try to appeal to business people… We want to be an experience provider targeting that market,” he said.
“We appeal to people who are looking for special holiday experiences and want to experience that real feeling of luxury. That’s why we target this market and this market is obviously a niche.
“Hong Kong is a source of great wealth and people there are used to travelling a lot. So they are looking for destinations and the Maldives is one of the markets that is definitely underserved given its beauty.”
The company’s luxury offerings include aircraft cabins with two rows of seats each, designed and manufactured in Italy. The usual screens are replaced by an Apple iPad Pro and a wireless headset. Ferrari also supplies carbon fiber shells for the seats.
The airline also offers its passengers chauffeured airport transfers.
Taskila pointed out that luxury travel is on the rise, which provides Beond with ample opportunities to grow and thrive. The airline aims to have 32 aircraft by the end of 2030.
“Even before Covid, luxury travel was the fastest growing market segment in the world. And after Covid, that growth has continued. The premium cabins are full of people looking for luxury travel,” he said.
According to Taskila, many well-known hoteliers have also pointed out that the demand for luxury travel is increasing rapidly and is likely to be the most sustainable segment in the coming years.
“And we are there to provide people with that bridge that takes them from their homes to these resorts and hotels around the world,” he said.
The new airline is jointly owned by Maldives-based trading company SIMDI Group and UAE-based airline start-up Arabesque and aims to serve 52 destinations in five years.
