All business class airline Beond has operated its inaugural scheduled service. The luxury airline kicked off operations flying from Munich (MUC) to Male in the Maldives, with a refueling stop in Dubai (DXB) en route.
Calling itself “the world’s first premium leisure airline”, Beond is backed by UAE-based hospitality company SIMDI.
The airline currently operates a single Airbus A319 aircraft (registered 8Q-FPA), which is configured in a premium layout featuring just 44 business class seats. The aircraft has recently been on static display at the Dubai Airshow 2023.
Following a launch event at Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss Airport on November 15, 2023, the aircraft departed at 21:08 for the first leg to Dubai before continuing to Male, landing at 08:52 on November 16. The route is to be flown twice weekly, to begin with.
“With our first revenue flight, Beond has arrived,” said Tero Taskila, the airline’s CEO. “We were delighted to welcome our first guests onboard. The flight is the start of their adventure to the beautiful Maldives and represents the starting line of our vision to build Beond as a luxury travel brand. Beond seeks to redefine the skies, where luxury, comfort, and exclusivity are not just ideals, but realities experienced by every traveler.”
As the range of the A319 is limited, the Munich to Male flight is required to make a technical stop for fuel in Dubai. However, the airline hopes to eradicate the need for this stop in the future.
Looking beyond the carrier’s first flight, the company plans to grow its fleet with more Airbus aircraft. It is currently evaluating other members of the A320 family, including the A321, and hopes to be operating around 32 planes and flying to 60 destinations in the next five years.
While other all-business class airlines of the past have targeted business travelers on major business-focused routes (such as London to New York), Beond is aimed at the premium leisure market, according to Taskila, hoping to provide an exclusive level of travel to those who might otherwise fly in premium cabins of more conventional carriers.
Looking ahead, the airline will begin flights linking Male with Riyadh and Zurich in the coming days and is currently evaluating services to other destinations across Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region