At Current Rate, Maldivians Will Not Take Command Of Dornier For Next 16 Years: Capt Ameen

Capt Mohamed Ameen; the former Director of Operations at the national airline, Maldivian; has stated that at the current rate, it would take 16 years for a Maldivian national to rise to the rank of captain and take command and control over the Dornier aircraft.

Two Maldivian pilots trained by the Indian armed forces have been officially permitted to fly the Dornier aircraft, and they have been awarded the CG Aviation Squad Badge by Maj Gen Abdullah Shamal. Despite this, Maldivians will be flying the Dornier under the command of the Indian military.

Ameen tweeted saying that at the current rate, it would take 16 years for Maldivian nationals to rise to the rank of captain and take command and control over the plane. He also wrote that this plan was a poor one, given the Maldives’ operational capacity.

Although both the Indian government and the Solih administration have repeatedly attempted to characterise the Dornier aircraft as a "gift" from India to the Maldives; the aircraft is, in reality, property of the Indian navy. The Maldivian government had temporarily granted the Indian military permission to operate the craft within Maldivian borders.