Following the with drawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives, two helicopters gifted by New Delhi to the island nation are consistently operated with a soldier from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) on board, as reported by a Maldivian news portal. An unnamed airport official mentioned that an MNDF soldier is always present when the helicopters are in flight.
President Mohamed Muizzu, who came to power in September last year with a promise to remove all Indian military personnel from the country, successfully repatriated the last of the 88 personnel by the May 10 deadline. India donated two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, which have been utilized for numerous medical evacuations and humanitarian missions in the Maldives.
Following the return of military personnel to India, civilians were deployed to sustain the operations of the three aviation platforms as per the agreement with the Maldives. Despite the absence of uniformed Indian military personnel, the Indian military helicopters in the Maldives continue to be operated regularly, flying at least twice a week for maintenance purposes, according to an airport worker speaking to Adhadhu.com anonymously.
The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) media official did not respond after initially committing to check on the flights of Indian military aircraft in the Maldives, as reported by Adhadhu.com. This update follows Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon's allegations against Indian military helicopter pilots stationed in the Maldives for an unauthorized operation in 2019, a claim refuted by the Indian High Commission in the Maldives.
India maintains that the Indian aviation platforms in the Maldives have always adhered to agreed procedures and required authorization. Even though the Maldives military lacks pilots capable of operating the three aircraft donated by India, a recent statement reiterated the government's stance against a permanent presence of foreign military troops in the country.
The Maldives government has introduced an air ambulance service and established a military Air Corp equipped with three drones from Turkiye for surveillance of Maldivian territorial waters, as reported by Adhadhu.com. Despite the introduction of new services that render India's helicopters and Dornier aircraft redundant, the agreement includes keeping these aircraft in the Maldives, operated by Indian civilian personnel.