The airport
Flights from Europe land at Velana International Airport, on the island of Hulhulé, beside Malé. Terminal 1, opened in July 2025, is the international terminal. Domestic flights leave from Terminal 2.
Flights from Europe
Direct flights run from a few European cities, among them London, Frankfurt and Zurich. Several run only in some seasons, and schedules change from one season to the next.
Many travellers from Europe connect through the Gulf hubs, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, or through Istanbul, one of the main links between the Maldives and Europe.
Some direct routes run only part of the year. Check what flies on your dates before you fix them, and tell us your flight times in your brief: they decide which islands make sense.
Arriving
- Before you fly, every traveller, children included, fills in the Traveller Declaration on IMUGA within 96 hours before arrival. Visas and entry explains.
- Immigration comes first. Have your passport, return ticket and booking ready.
- Baggage claim, then customs. Alcohol bought on the plane or at duty-free shops on the way is confiscated here.
- Then your transfer. The airport’s information counters and help desks are open around the clock, and can help you reach your resort.
On to the island
Speedboats leave from the airport jetty. Seaplane passengers check in inside Terminal 1, beside arrivals, and a bus takes them on to the seaplane terminal. Domestic flights leave from Terminal 2.
Seaplanes fly in daylight only, so to reach a seaplane island the same day, land by 15:30 local time. Seaplane or speedboat? explains each transfer.
Landing late
If your flight lands too late for a seaplane, there are two ways round it: an island reached by speedboat or domestic flight, which can run after dark, or a night near the airport and the transfer the next morning. There is a hotel on the airport island itself, and Malé and Hulhumalé are linked to the airport by bridge.
Tell us your flight times and we will help you arrange the transfer, and a night near the airport if you need one.
Going home
The airport asks you to check in at least two hours before your flight. Resorts usually transfer you two to three hours before your international flight, so from a seaplane island a flight home after 9am is the safer choice.