The return flight from Medhufushi (MED) to Malé (MLE) took place on 13 January 2013. A brief overview of the Maldives, the airline, and transportation in the Maldives in general can be found in my previous review. So I will cut to the chase.
I arrived at the airport on Medhufushi island about forty minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time.
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The interior of the airport was completely unlike anything you would expect. There was a bar, and even pool tables you could play on while waiting for your flight.
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Soon after my arrival, other passengers showed up. Everyone except for one woman were tourists.
After that an amicable Russian-speaking lady arrived on the scene and took a headcount of the passengers on a list. Then, airline employees collected everyone's luggage.
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Our baggage being taken to the "gate".
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The hydroplane was very late. About 40 minutes behind, maybe more. Ten minutes before its arrival everyone was invited to come to the "gate".
The "gate" from a far.
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Inside the "gate".
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The hydroplane has finally arrived.
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The barefoot pilot.
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Boarding begins.
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From the inside, the plane was identical to the last one. However, it had a different tail number: 8Q-MAN.
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This, time the plane wasn't completely packed.
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The flight attendant.
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A few minutes before takeoff the flight attendant removed the backs (!) from all the seats that weren't occupied, and told the people sitting behind these seats: "Welcome to business class!". To one-up him, the pilot gave everybody who was fanning themselves with their hands in the unbearable heat a flight magazine and said: "Welcome to first class!". After that the amused passengers, most of whom were Russian, asked him whether he could fly straight to Moscow, to which he replied "Of course, no problem."
Here are some more views from the window. This time without any captions. Enjoy.
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Arrival in Male.
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A view of our plane after landing.
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The airport in Male (this is the terminal for Maldivian Air Taxi's domestic flights).
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P.S. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to comment and rate!
