BeOnd changes course: from Malpensa now flies all-Business to the Red Sea (Saudi shore)
BeOnd's winter season opens with big news, at least in terms of the flights that the carrier [...]
BeOnd
CSR
Maldives
Saudi Arabia
BeOnd's winter season opens with big news, at least as far as the flights that the Emirates-Maldivian carrier operates to Male from Milan Malpensa airport.
In this article:
For nearly two years, the airline (which has a fleet consisting of an Airbus A319 and an Airbus A321 in all-Business configuration with 44 and 68 seats respectively) had operated from Milan to the Maldives with a technical stopover of about an hour to refuel at Dubai's Al Maktoum Airport.
Both the A319 and the A321 are 'ceo', meaning they have a range of between five and six hours, not enough time to fly nonstop between Europe and the Maldives. In fact, even flights from Zurich and Munich have always included a stopover at Dubai's secondary airport, in both directions.
What if your next trip was because of points?
Join the Training Center and improve your knowledge in the world of travel reward
Starting November 12, however, the route between Milan and Malé will include a technical stopover at Red Sea International Airport, which is located on the Saudi shore of the Red Sea near the luxurious resort that Riyadh is developing to attract more and more tourists from abroad.
The 'switch,' the change of course, is due to the all-business carrier obtaining transportation rights on both the Milan-Red Sea and Red Sea-Maldive routes. Italian travelers will thus be able to use Beond's connections to the Maldives even if only to stop at the Saudi resort on the Red Sea, or take a vacation period and then proceed to the Indian Ocean (and, of course, fly directly to Malé after the stopover in Saudi Arabia).
The connections are operated with the larger of the two aircraft in BeOnd's force, the Airbus A321 equipped with 68 seats in rows of 2+2 with the seats converting into lie-flat beds. As aeroroutes.com reports, you can departing from Malpensa on Wednesdays and Sundays at 10:20 p.m. with arrival at the Red Sea at 5 a.m. the next day; from there, departure to Malé is scheduled at 5:45 a.m. with landing in the Maldives at 2:05 p.m. In the opposite direction, also on Wednesdays and Saturdays, depart at 12:15 p.m. to land in Saudi Arabia at 5:15 p.m., depart again at 6 p.m. to land in Malpensa at 9:20 p.m.
The round-trip fare between Milan and the Red Sea starts from 1,708 euros. That to Malé from just under 1,900 euros..
BeOnd, in Winter 2025-2026, will also continue to operate from Zurich and Munich to Malè with a stopover at Dubai Al Maktoum Airport, as well as operate a multi-weekly rotation between Malè and the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
