Maldives Military Lacks Trained Pilots For India-Donated Dornier Plane And Helicopters, Says Minister In Pro-China Muizzu Government

Maldives' Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon has revealed that the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) currently lacks personnel capable of operating three aircraft donated by the Indian military, as per a report by news portal Adhadhu.com.

Speaking at a press conference at the President's Office, Ghassan addressed the recent withdrawal of 76 Indian soldiers who were stationed in the Maldives to operate the aircraft, which will now be operated by civilians from India.

The minister in pro-China Muizzu government explained that while some Maldivian soldiers had begun training to operate the Dornier aircraft and two helicopters under agreements made by previous governments, none had completed the training to be fully operational.

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He cited various reasons for the incomplete training, stating, "As it was a training that required passing various stages, our soldiers had not reached completion due to various reasons. Therefore, there aren't any people in our force at the moment who are licensed or fully operational to fly the two helicopters and Dornier aircraft."

However, it is worth noting that senior officials of the current administration, when they were in the opposition over the past five years, criticised the previous government, claiming that there were capable pilots in the MNDF.

The main objective behind the arrival of Indian soldiers was to train Maldivians to operate the helicopters donated during the presidencies of Mohamed Nasheed and Abdulla Yameen, as well as the Dornier aircraft acquired during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's tenure.

Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer confirmed that the agreement to replace Indian soldiers with civilians also includes provisions for training local pilots.

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