Maldives Airports – Your Ultimate Guide to Island Hopping
Along the equator in the Indian Ocean, there lies a country that’s made up of 1,190 coral islands. Where time stops so you can enjoy, relax and recuperate in total harmony. That country is none other than Maldives, one of the premier tourist destinations in the world.
The country has been open to tourism since the early 70’s and started making waves from the get-go, amassing almost 4,000 tourists in 1973. That number has since risen to almost 2 million in 2023. The number of resorts and tourist accommodations have also shot up, with just 17 resorts being built in the late 70’s to 1,220 tourist facilities across the country. This includes 883 guesthouses, 172 resorts, 152 safari vessels and 13 hotels.
These tourist accommodations are spread out all over the Maldives and getting from the airport to your temporary island home has gotten easier with time. And that’s due to the fact that Maldives has opened multiple airports across the country to ease travel. The country, while it is split up, still spans a length of 822 km. So if you’re someone that likes to go island hopping, then this article is for you. Welcome to the ultimate guide to island hopping in Maldives!
In order for you to fully utilise the aero landscape of Maldives, you first have to understand what your options are. So let’s take a look at all the airports you can take advantage of.
Current Airport Landscape
There are currently 19 airports in Maldives. Five are international airports while the rest serve as domestic airports for internal travel.
Major International Airports
1. Velana International Airport (MLE)
Velana International Airport was opened on 12th April 1966 and has served as the main international airport of Maldives. The airport went through a few upgrades and name changes to better suit the progress it went through. It is located at North Male’ Atoll, a short ferry ride away from Male’. You can also get to the airport by crossing the bridge connected to the capital Male’.
As of February 2024, these are the international and domestic airlines that operates at Velana:
International Airlines
- Aeroflot
- AirAsia
- Air Astana
- Air India (Seasonal)
- Air Seychelles (Seasonal)
- Austrian Airlines (Seasonal)
- Bangkok Airways
- Batik Air Malaysia
- Beijing Capital Airlines
- BeOnd
- British Airways
- China Eastern Airlines
- Condor (Seasonal)
- Discover Airlines
- Edelweiss Air (Seasonal)
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- flydubai
- Flynas (Seasonal)
- Gulf Air
- Hong Kong Airlines (Seasonal)
- IndiGo
- ITA Airways (Seasonal)
- Kuwait Airways
- LOT Polish Airways (Seasonal charter)
- Neos (Seasonal)
- Oman Air (Seasonal)
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Jordanian (Seasonal charter)
- Saudia
- Sichuan Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Thai AirAsia
- Turkish Airlines
- US-Bangla Airlines
- Uzbekistan Airways
- Virgin Atlantic (Seasonal)
- Vistara
- Wizz Air
Domestic Airlines
- Flyme
International & Domestic Airlines
- Maldivian (Seasonal and charter)
- Manta Air
If you’re someone who wants to save up just a bit more to enjoy your vacation, make it a point to not book your flight tickets straight through the airline and its website. Do yourself a favour and contact the resort, hotel or guesthouse you plan on staying at and ask them to take care of the tickets for you. They’ll get you ticket prices that are half as cheap as the ones on airline websites!
2. Gan International Airport (GAN)
Gan International Airport bridges the gap between Southern Maldives to the rest of the country, allowing for safer travel across large distances at sea. It also brings the resorts in that area closer to the rest of the country, allowing for easier travel between resorts.
Gan is currently undergoing an expansion and is adding on:
- Restaurants
- Duty-free shops
- Lounge amenities
- Cargo and cold storage facilities
- Parking zone
- Control tower
- Road infrastructure
- Fire station
The project is set to finish by 2025 and is being funded by Exim Bank of India, with the contract being handed to Renaatus Projects of India as well. The expansion will be able to tend to an annual 1.5 million passengers, which is also set to boost the socioeconomic growth of the area.
If you head to Gan and would rather stay closer to the airport, here are a few accommodation options you can mull over:
- Canareef Resort Maldives
- Hiyala Inn
- Equator Village Resort
- Aquaventure Manta Lodge
- Equator Homestay
- Hotel Star Shell
- Equa Reef Maldives
- Marine Gold Inn
- Pebbles Inn
- Rekidhiye Inn
- Abuharee Grand
- Charming Holiday Lodge
- Fehi Inn
3. Villa International Airport (VAM)
Villa International Airport is located at South Ari Atoll, which is 110 km away from Velana and takes around 30 minutes to get there. The island the airport is built on, Maamigili, is also known as the largest island within the region.
The airport opened in 2011 and underwent construction to be upgraded from a domestic airport to an international airport in 2013. Upon the opening of Villa International Airport, Villa also revealed to the public Villa Air, also known as Flyme, a local airline set to bring the neighbouring and far out islands closer to the region.
If you’re a lover of all things marine and you’ve booked your holiday within South Ari Atoll, you’re in luck. The atoll is most known for having a high traffic of manta rays and whale sharks throughout the year. Many dive centres close by offer excursions to try and find these creatures to swim along with. A lot of care goes into these excursions as it’s imperative you keep your distance from these denizens of the deep, even though they are known for being passive creatures. Provoke any creature enough and they’ll react accordingly.
4. Hanimaadhoo International Airport (HAQ)
Hanimaadhoo International Airport is located at Haa Dhaalu Atoll which is located at the northern section of Maldives. When it first opened in 1990, it was made as a domestic airport and was turned into an international one on 2nd February 2012. It connects the northern atolls and the rest of the country and was deemed the source of a better economy and ease of transportation for the people in the area.
In January 2023, the Regional Airports Company (RAC) set out to expand the airport and is set to be finished within 2024. The contractors Somnium London (lead design architect & concept designer), Meinhardt Group (engineer & program manager) and Studio DRA (local delivery architect & project manager) worked together on the design portion while the JMC Projects (engineering & construction services) won the construction contract in August 2022.
The expansion is set to have the following upgrades:
- Modernised passenger terminal
- Sea terminal building
- Ancillary buildings (air traffic control tower, aircraft rescue & firefighting block, cargo building, hangar block)
- Airside & landside infrastructure
- 3,000 metre runway
- Fuel farm & jetty
- Sewage treatment & desalination plants
- Ground serving equipment storage facility
5. Maafaru International Airport (NMF)
Maafaru International Airport rests at the southern-end of Noonu Atoll, which is in northern Maldives. It officially opened on 1st December 2019.
Before the expansion took place, the airport was able to accommodate just 100 passengers and had a 2.2 km runway. The expansion is set to increase passenger accommodation to 300 and lengthen the runway from 2.2 km to 2.85 km. The new passenger terminal also includes CIQ and CIP lounges and vastly increases the size of the terminal to comfortably accommodate the 300 passenger limit.
An Abu Dhabi Fund gave the necessary purse of $60 million USD (MVR 925 million) to get the project rolling and is set to become an economic hub within Noonu Atoll.
Domestic Airports
1. Dharavandhoo Airport (DRV)
Dharavandhoo Airport was opened on 17th October 2012 and is located in Baa Atoll, which is in the southern section of northern atolls. Their departure flights include trips to Male’ (Flyme, Maldivian, Manta Air), Hanimaadhoo (Maldivian), Ifuru (Maldivian) and Hoarafushi (Manta Air).
Dharavandhoo Airport serves as a middle man for tourist transport to nearby resorts, some of them being Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives, Vakkaru Maldives and The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort, to name a few.
Baa Atoll is well known for its marine biodiversity, with a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve by the name of Hanifaru Bay harbouring the marine spectacle. Coral life, fish and everything in between makes this place a natural wonder and is known for being a popular dive site across the country and the world. Hanifaru Bay is also famous for its manta rays and whale shark sightings.
2. Dhaalu Airport (DDD)
Dhaalu Airport is located at the atoll of the same name (Dhaalu Atoll) on Kudahuvadhoo Island. It was opened on 22nd June 2017 and serves as a direct transfer to Kudahuvadhoo. It is 180 km south of Male’, making it a 45 – 50 minute journey by air. Dhaalu Airport is also known as one of the domestically largest airports in Maldives, due to its 1,800 metre long runway.
Dhaalu Airport is one of the airports to stay ahead of the curve in terms of upgrades. It’s the first airport in the country that acquired solar lighting systems for taxiway lighting and the runway edge. There’s also visual aids such as taxiway lighting, wind direction indicator systems and APAPI that are also solar powered. Dhaalu Airport pushes the envelope in terms of energy saving and by extension, environmental conservation.
Due to the size of the runway, Dhaalu Airport is able to accommodate the ATR-72 and Dash-8 aircraft but more importantly, private jets as well. This adds another layer of economic benefit to the area, with more flights coming in.
3. Fuvahmulah Airport (FVM)
Fuvahmulah Airport is located at Gnaviyani Atoll, which is situated right on the Equatorial Channel. It sits at the southern end of Maldives which is a whopping 500 km from Velana International Airport. It takes 1 hour and 25 minutes to get to Fuvahmulah by air. The airport opened in November 2011.
Fuvahmulah is mostly known for activities in the water: scuba diving, snorkelling, free diving, etc. They have amazing dive centres, excursion points and packages for dive lovers to enjoy. If you want to swim with sharks, mantas, threshers and whale sharks, this is the place to be.
The island itself is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve due to its two freshwater lakes, historical monuments and beach environments. The island has the remnants of a buddhist temple (Havitta) and islamic mosque (Gemmiskiy) due to the rich historical events that occurred during the countries infancy.
Fuvahmulah Airport is set for an upgrade, with the following expansion plans announced in January 2024:
- Re-orientation of the runway
- Expansion of the runway to accommodate jets
- Expansion of the apron to create jet space for parking
- Establishment of jet fueling facilities
- Establishment of an aviation school
The runway is currently at 1,200 metres and is projected to be anywhere between 1,600 and 1,800 metres when the project is finished. This is in an effort to accommodate jets to increase tourism traffic, which will bring about a net positive to the economy of Gnaviyani Atoll. Fuvahmulah itself also made efforts in 2016 to increase its visibility as a prime tourist destination by launching the Visit Fuvahmulah website, which is packed with information on everything Fuvahmulah!
4. Ifuru Airport (IFU)
Ifuru Airport is located in Northern Maalhosmadhulu Atoll. It takes 40 – 50 minutes to travel from Velana International Airport to Ifuru with a travel distance of 178 km. The airport is connected to Maldivian airports such as Hanimaadhoo International Airport, Maafaru International Airport and Dharavandhoo Airport as well. The airport was later made to serve Ifuru Island Maldives, a resort that’s on Ungoofaru Island, with it initially being just a domestic airport. This is the same island the airport is on but now does domestic travel to other islands as well which would explain its runway spanning 1,200 metres in length.
This airport serves as a connector to other major airports for both tourists and locals alike. For locals that stay close-by to Ungoofaaru, travel became that much easier when the airport opened on 29th May 2015.
Other Domestic Airports
1. Kaadedhdhoo Airport (KDM)
Located in Gaafu Dhaalu (South Huvadhu) Atoll, which is the most southern end of Maldives, Kaadedhdhoo Airport was opened for business on 10th December 1993. The airport serves as a domestic connector to the rest of the country from the southernmost islands of Maldives.
It takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Kaadedhdhoo Airport from Velana International Airport. Operating airlines at the airport include Island Aviation, Flyme and Trans Maldivian Airways. It has a runway of 1,200 metres and is already in the crosshairs of the government to undergo renovations for further improvement to international standards.
If you’re a dive enthusiast, there is a place called Madaveli close by, which is a shipwreck diving site and Vaadhoo Island, known as the Sea of Stars, due to its bioluminescent beach. Both these locations are must-see attractions due to its eye-opening beauty.
2. Kadhdhoo Airport
Kadhdhoo Airport opened on 10th December 1986 and resides in Laamu Atoll (also known as Haddhunamthi Atoll) which is located at the southern end of Maldives as well. It is located 256 km from Velana International Airport, with a 50 minute flight time attached to it.
The airport has one runway which spans 1,220 metres in length, perfect for domestic aircraft. They have flights to Dharavandhoo (Flyme), Gan (Flyme, Maldivian), Kaadedhdhoo (Flyme, Maldivian), Kooddoo (Flyme, Maldivian), Maamigili (Flyme) and Male’ (Flyme, Maldivian).
There are a few accommodation options that offers shuttle services from the airport, such as:
- Cloud Beach Retreat Laamu Gan
- Nazaki Beach Boutique Hotel
- Reveries Maldives
- Six Senses Laamu Maldives
3. Kooddoo Airport (GKK)
Kooddoo Airport was first opened on 10th September 2012 to serve the atoll it inhabits, which is Huvadhu Atoll. The airport is 45 minutes from Velana International Airport via air. It was brought to fruition by Singaporean property development company Bonvests Holdings Ltd.
Since the initial opening, Kooddoo Airport has received some upgrades in the form of a VIP Lounge and a lengthened runway (1,200 metres to 1,800 metres) for larger and private jets, to accommodate for the influx of tourists.
If you fancy heading to the southern atolls for your holiday, here are some accommodation options that are close by to Kooddoo Airport:
- Mercure Maldives Kooddoo All-Inclusive Resort
- The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah
- Pullman Maldives All-Inclusive Resort
- Ekafaru Inn
4. Thimarafushi Airport (TMF)
Thimarafushi Airport is located at Thaa Atoll (also known as Kolhumadulu Atoll) and was opened on 3rd September 2013. It has a runway length of 1,200 metres and was built for domestic flights, connecting the Thaa Atoll region to the rest of the country. The atoll is located 221 km south of the capital Male’.
The airport went through one construction phase and another is on hold. The first one was finished on 26th May 2014 and was completed by MTCC. Phase Two has been on hold since its inception in December 2013. In April 2022, Island Aviation Services Limited made an announcement stating their desire to upgrade Thimarafushi Airport. The upgrades are to be made to the accommodation block, boarding gate checking area, a fire and rescue building, a passenger terminal office area, a security gate and fence.
The airport has the airline Maldivian do trips to the capital for those who want to visit. The flights are always on Thursdays and Saturdays each week.
5. Hoarafushi Airport (HRF)
Hoarafushi Airport is located at Haa Alif Atoll, which is at the northernmost end of the country. It is 318 km from Velana International Airport and takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to travel from point to point.
Hoarafushi Airport offers flights to Male’ (Maldivian, Manta Air) and Dharavandhoo (Manta Air) so if you feel like checking out what North Male’ Atoll or Baa Atoll has to offer, you have the option to do so!
The airport has opened up avenues of economic growth for the atoll. For example, the atoll has within it the island of Utheemu, which holds great historical significance to Maldives. Visits have been made easier for both tourists coming in and for locals who want to go south to Male’ and beyond.
6. Funadhoo Airport (FND)
Funadhoo Airport is located at Shaviyani Atoll and is a domestic airport that connects the north-north-east section of Maldives to the rest of the country. The airport opened on 1st February and has scheduled direct flights via Maldivian Airlines. There are three flights a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The runway of the airport spans 1,200 metres, perfect for domestic landing and takeoff. The airport is close to some exciting luxury resorts so if you’re booking your holiday for any of the following resorts, know that you’ll have an easy time transiting:
7. Faresmaathoda Airport (FMT)
Faresmaathoda Airport is located in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and is a 1 hour and 10 minute flight from Velana International Airport, with the distance spanning 450 km. It was inaugurated on 15th March 2023 and is one of the few airports that allows night flights.
The airport is known for its almost heart-like, near diamond-like shapes upon getting to the terminal. A spectacle to look at at nighttime, Faresmaathoda helps connect the near southern tip of the atoll to the rest of Maldives. The airport has a 7,543 sqm shoulder runway, allowing for comfortable taxiing, landing and takeoff.
The atoll sees a respectable amount of tourists rush to swim in its untouched seas and dive with their denizens. The beaches and islands themselves are also as pure as it can get.
8. Kulhudhuffushi Airport (HDK)
Kulhudhuffushi Airport is located at Haa Dhaalu Atoll, known for its underwater beauty and diving points and has a reef extending 35 kilometres. The airport had its first flights commence on 9th August 2019 and has a runway length of 1,220 metres.
The Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL) has issued a bid to expand and redevelop the airport on 6th January 2024, with the inclusion of a 11,345 sqf passenger terminal, passenger terminal shading to stave off the heat, improvements to the current design and additions to the current facilities to improve passenger experiences. There is no expected end date as of yet.
9. Maavarulu Airport (RUL)
Maavarulu Airport is located at Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and serves to bridge the gap in the atoll itself and the rest of the country. Multiple airports in one atoll were built to serve the public in their transportation of goods, their services and for general travel. The airport opened on 4th July 2020 and has scheduled flights (via Maldivian) that head to Gan, Kaadedhdhoo, Kooddoo and Male’.
Maavarulu Airport looked at Faaresmaathoda Airport and followed in their footsteps and began operating night flights at the tail end of August / beginning of September 2023.
10. Madivaru Airport (LMV)
Madivaru Airport is located at Lhaviyani Atoll and takes a cool 25 minutes to get from Madivaru Airport to Velana International Airport. There are three flights a day allowing for multiple sets of tourists and locals to travel between the islands. It has a 1,200 metre runway and serves 80 people in its VIP Lounge. It can also accommodate four planes at a time for smooth and consistent flights.
The airport started operating on 18th February 2022 and has since then seen interest for an upgrade to international airport standards a year later. The following resorts are close to the airport for ease of transit:
As you’ve read up, there’s an array of flight options that you can look to take when you’re in Maldives, especially if you want to go island hopping. All these airports have successfully made it a much easier task to get around.
With all these options available, we hope you take charge and explore Maldives and uncover all its beauty during your trip.
