Bangladesh, Aug. 3 -- The agreement was concluded last month in Male after two days of negotiations between Maldivian aviation officials and the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA), said media reports, citing the ECAA.

Maldivian Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen and ECAA Director General Yohannes Abera signed the accord. The Ethiopian delegation also included ECAA Economic Regulation Director Nardos Bedilu and Ethiopian Airlines' Vice President for Strategic Alliances and Director of International Alliances.

The deal grants Ethiopian Airlines Fifth Freedom rights through the Maldives, letting the carrier fly onward to Colombo, Perth, Sydney, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Christchurch, Auckland, and...