13 Italian military aircraft have landed at Velana International Airport (VIA).

According to information received, these aircraft landed at VIA for a technical stop with necessary permissions this morning.

A senior airport official stated that the aircraft landed at VIA for refueling and are scheduled to travel to Malaysia next.

However, the exact departure time from the Maldives is not yet clear.

Confirming this, MNDF also stated that these were Italian jets making a technical stop in the Maldives.

Last month, four Italian "Eurofighter Typhoon" fighter jets and one support aircraft also landed in VIA, while last year, fifth-generation "F-35 Lightning" jets landed at VIA twice.