Honourable Ministers, Senior Vice President of Singapore Airlines, West Asia & Africa, Mr. Tan Chik Quee, General Manager, Mr. Sher Khan, Ladies and Gentlemen:
May I first of all say a word of thanks to Mr. Sher Khan for congratulating me on our national team’s achievement today. I know that every Maldivian feels very happy and very proud today because our national football team achieved a great success by drawing the match with the mighty South Koreans. As you would of course know, South Korea had achieved the fourth place in the 2002 World Cup. And I will not be tempted to say that we also occupy the same place in world football. But I must say to each and every member of our football team that we are proud of you. We wish you luck in the coming games. I also wish to express my best wishes for the Singapore team which, I know is playing tonight against Japan, also in a qualifying match for the World Cup of 2006. I wish your team every success.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
My wife and I are delighted to be here this evening to take part in the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the start of Singapore Airlines flights into Male’.
We ourselves have frequently travelled by Singapore Airlines during the past twenty years. In fact, my wife and I have had that singular pleasure no less than four times during the past fortnight. Each and every time we have flown with you, we have been impressed by the quality of the service that the airline offers.
I extend a very warm welcome to Mr. Tan Chik Quee, Senior Vice President of SIA, West Asia and Africa, who is visiting us for this 20th anniversary celebration. I wish to congratulate him and the management of Singapore Airlines, as well as their General Manager in the Maldives, Mr. Sher Khan, and his staff, on reaching this historic milestone.
May I also thank Mr. Tan for the beautiful memento that you have just presented to me.
I also extend my felicitations on this occasion to Mr. Ilyas Ibrahim, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, and to the civil aviation sector of the Maldives. As we celebrate this important event that is associated with Male’ International Airport, I am happy to say that the airport is managed entirely by Maldivians. Therefore, I would also like to pay tribute this evening to the Maldives Airports Company and Island Aviation Services, service partners of the flight operations of Singapore Airlines into Male’.
I am sure that some of you will recall the memorable night of the 28th of March 1984, when, about an hour before midnight, the first “Big Top” Boeing 747 to land at this airport, dressed-up in Singapore Airlines’ livery of white, gold and blue, broke the silence of the night and announced the opening of a new gateway to the Maldives.
Over the past two decades, Singapore Airlines has made a vital contribution to our economic progress. Our tourism industry in particular has been well served throughout by the connections into the country provided by Singapore Airlines. In addition, the airline ferries crucial air cargo for the Maldives, and occupies top position in outbound cargo among scheduled passenger carriers.
When we look at how Singapore Airlines air links to the Maldives had grown over the years, the vital role played by the Air Services Agreement signed between the Maldives and Singapore in 1983 becomes evident. Today, everywhere in the world, an “open sky” policy is fast becoming the norm. In this sense, the agreement that enabled Singapore Airlines to begin operations to the Maldives was one that was visionary, providing a very liberal, open-sky regime, and extending Fifth Freedom rights to designated carriers. Those provisions have played a key role in expanding aviation connections into Male’.
Indeed, effective communications are essential for any country to be integrated into the global economy. Our airport facilities form a very important part of that communications infrastructure, which is why the Government has invested heavily in the development of the airport.
Indeed, the opening of Male’ International Airport in 1981 has resulted in a tremendous boost to tourism and the national economy. At present, the fourth phase of the airport upgrading project is underway. It involves the installation of radar services, more sophisticated air traffic control facilities, and advanced power generation equipment, as well as the expansion of the terminal capacity by some 30 percent. Our objective is the provision of faster and better services to a growing volume of passenger-traffic.
Distinguished Guests:
The past two decades represent a period of sustained national progress in the Maldives. The success that we have achieved is no doubt the result of the collective efforts of our people and our development partners. Some of our collaborators are sovereign states, some are international organisations and, some are private corporate bodies. Tour operators, airline companies, and other investors and buyers of our products, are all allies in our progress.
In this landscape of partners, Singapore Airlines remains a tall skyscraper. It is indeed fitting that this commemoration is being held at a venue in which the airline itself has a vital stake. As you may know, this beautiful hotel, which is a valuable addition both to the Male’ International Airport and to the tourist industry, had been completed with the strong support of Singapore Airlines. The hotel is an important undertaking managed by the Maldives In-flight Catering, which is a successful joint venture between the Maldives Airports Company and the Singapore Airport Terminal Services.
Travel opens minds, promotes understanding, and develops ideas. Singapore Airlines represents the culture of professionalism, discipline and success that is associated with Singapore. There is much that the world admires about Singapore, and much that we would want to emulate.
A true partnership is one in which the welfare and the success of the one party automatically lead to the happiness and the well-being of the other. Ours is such a partnership, one of mutual benefit.
This evening, we celebrate not only the success that has been achieved by our association with Singapore Airlines over the past twenty years, but also our commitment to build upon that to attain an even better future for both our sides. This event also highlights the close bilateral friendship that exists between Singapore and the Maldives, and our eagerness to further develop that relationship.
Singapore Airlines is a world leader, as it were, in the competitive business of commercial aviation. May I take this opportunity to wish SIA continued success and further outstanding achievements in the years to come!
Thank you.