Dornier Aircraft Unused in Efforts to Search for Child Lost at Sea

The Dornier aircraft operated by the Indian military in the Maldives has not been deployed in the efforts to search for the missing 4-year-old child who fell overboard while travelling by speedboat from Male City to Vaavu atoll with his parents.

The Dornier aircraft had been deployed in the Maldives under the pretext of being useful for search and rescue operations. Responding to journalists, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) claimed that the Dornier aircraft was not being used due to some "technical difficulties" which grounded it.

It is notable that if the Dornier aircraft is forced to be grounded due to technical difficulties, a new aircraft is flown in for the required operation.

In more recent months, the Indian military had not given permission to use their two military helicopters deployed in the Maldives to airlift patients ill with COVID-19 despite prior claims that the helicopters were going to be used for such purposes.

According to the leaked agreements signed between the Maldivian and Indian governments regarding the Dornier aircraft, the Indian military commander in charge of the aircraft has the right to deny all Maldivian requests to use the aircraft.