Private jet to the Maldives

The Maldives are a chain of about 1,200 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls, stretched over roughly 850 km of the Indian Ocean south-west of India. Most resorts occupy an island of their own, so a private trip is planned backwards from the island: the atoll decides whether the last stage is a speedboat, a seaplane or a domestic turboprop, and that in turn sets the hour at which the jet has to land.

Most international private flights land at Velana International beside the capital; its permits, parking and arrival lounge are described on our page about Malé. This page covers the rest of the Maldives: the atolls and how to reach them, the four other airports that take business jets, Maafaru, Gan, Hanimaadhoo and Maamigili, the seasons, and what the trip costs from Europe, the Gulf and Asia. Our clients are mostly families, couples on honeymoon and groups of friends sharing a long-range cabin, along with divers and a few investors visiting resort projects.

Write the name of the resort, the dates and the number of guests, including the ages of children, and we work out the landing time and the aircraft from there.

Start with the atoll, not the airport

Distances inside the Maldives are long: from Haa Alif in the north to Addu in the south the islands run for most of those 850 km. The transfer can take ten minutes or two hours, so the choice of atoll changes the whole plan:

Some resorts set their clocks an hour ahead of Malé to give guests longer evenings, so we write every transfer time in our plan in Velana time.

Flight times from Europe and the region

The Global 7500 flies every route in the main table without a stop, so its times show the shortest journey:

• From central Europe: Vienna - Maafaru 9:31 h, Munich - Maafaru 9:57 h, Zurich and Nice - Maafaru 10:12 h, Milan Linate - Malé 10:14 h
• From the west and north: Frankfurt - Malé 10:29 h, Hamburg - Malé 10:32 h, Geneva - Malé 10:34 h, Paris Le Bourget - Maafaru 10:49 h, Amsterdam - Malé 10:54 h
• From the far west: London Farnborough - Malé 11:20 h, Madrid - Malé 11:25 h, London Farnborough - Gan 11:51 h
• From the eastern Mediterranean: Larnaca - Malé 7:15 h
• Praetor 600 with a fuel stop: Istanbul - Maafaru 10:21 h, Rome - Maafaru and Warsaw - Malé 12:14 h
• Regional sectors without a stop: Colombo - Gan 2:02 h, Mumbai - Hanimaadhoo 2:20 h, Mahé - Malé 3:17 h, Dubai - Maafaru 4:21 h

The times follow the routing European operators use around closed airspace, across Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula and over the Arabian Sea, about 14 per cent longer than the straight line. From most hubs a heavy or super midsize jet stops once, usually in the Gulf, and arrives about two hours later than a non-stop Global 7500. Departing in the evening from Europe brings the aircraft in during the morning, with time left for the seaplane.

Prices for a private flight to the islands

All prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, with the aircraft based near the departure airport. Landing and parking permits, handling, the fuel stop, Maldivian charges and passenger taxes are added. The flight time is that of the first aircraft in each row.

From the European hubs to Velana, Maafaru and Gan

The Challenger 650 with a fuel stop is the cheapest choice, from EUR 105,000 out of Vienna and EUR 120,000 out of London. The Falcon 7X flies non-stop from every hub except London, Amsterdam and Madrid, at EUR 120,000 from Vienna to Maafaru; from those three it needs a stop, and the Global 7500 then costs the same or less. Maafaru and Velana cost about the same to reach, so the deciding factor is the resort. From Larnaca the Challenger 650 flies without a stop for EUR 70,000.

From other European cities

The Praetor 600 seats up to nine and stops once for fuel, from EUR 70,000 from Istanbul and EUR 83,000 from Rome or Warsaw. The Falcon 8X and the Gulfstream G650 fly without a stop and have room for beds and a crew rest area on a ten-hour sector.

From the Gulf, India and Asia

Many families fly the long sector to the Gulf on a scheduled or private flight, spend a few days in Dubai or Doha and finish with a smaller jet. Doha and Singapore are beyond the non-stop range of a light jet, hence on request.

Combined with other Indian Ocean islands

A week in the Seychelles or on Mauritius combines well with the Maldives: Mahé - Malé costs EUR 23,000 in a Praetor 500. Each country issues its own landing permit, so the full route is fixed before we apply.

Flights between two airports in the Maldives are not sold on a foreign aircraft: once the jet has landed, the islands are linked by local seaplanes, the domestic airline and boats. On a resort stay of one or two weeks the jet usually flies home and comes back, because parking is limited. Maldivian departure tax and an airport development fee are charged per passenger at a higher rate on private flights; the handler confirms the amount for the quote. European passenger taxes depend on where the trip starts. Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger on a flight of this length to or from the country, Austria EUR 12, and France its solidarity tax for business jets, which depends on distance, from about EUR 420 per passenger within Europe to about EUR 2,100 on long-haul routes such as the Maldives. A UK departure pays Air Passenger Duty: the higher rate applies to jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, the standard rate of the distance band to lighter jets. Germany, Norway and the Netherlands have their own taxes, listed in the quote.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

Three holidays with the full bill

Price per guest

One price covers the whole cabin; the departure taxes and seaplane fares are paid per person:

Estimate online

The calculator sends an estimate by e-mail. Put the resort name in the comment, so that the transfer is part of the reply:

Airports for business jets beyond Velana

Almost every domestic airfield has a runway of about 1,100 to 1,200 m and serves turboprops only. Five airports in the Maldives take business jets, and three of them are useful for resort guests:

Every international private flight to the Maldives needs a landing permit with a parking slot, applied for through a handler; from November to March we ask for it a month ahead. A first landing at Maafaru, Gan or Hanimaadhoo is confirmed with customs and the handler for the specific date.

Which aircraft for the atolls

Every airport above except Maamigili accepts the largest business jets, so range and the number of guests decide the class. On ten hours in the air to the Maldives, families usually choose ultra long range jets with a separate sleeping area; couples and small groups save with a heavy jet or a super midsize and a stop. Seaplanes allow about 20 kg of checked baggage and 5 kg of hand baggage per person, so golf bags, dive gear and large suitcases are announced to the resort in advance.

Comparing a non-stop jet with a cheaper aircraft and a fuel stop is easier on the phone. Leave your number and a consultant will call:

Seaplanes, speedboats and domestic flights

For a seaplane transfer on the day of arrival the jet should land by about 15:00 local time. In the wet months wind and rain can delay seaplanes, and then a speedboat or a night near Velana is the fallback. If you land at Maafaru, Gan or Hanimaadhoo, the resort arranges the boat from that airport.

When to go: the monsoon calendar

The temperature stays around 30 °C all year; what changes is the monsoon. The dry north-east monsoon from December to April brings calm water and the highest demand, and the south-west monsoon from May to October brings showers, wind and lower prices. Empty Legs are most frequent in early January and after Easter, when long-range jets fly home after dropping families, and in November and December, when aircraft fly out empty to collect guests. Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier every year; in the Maldives resorts work as normal, offices in Malé keep shorter hours.

Empty Legs to and from the islands

The operator sets the date and the time, and the landing permit is still needed, so a last-minute leg is rarely possible here. Send the direction and your window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Pets: cats only, no dogs

• The Maldives do not admit dogs. The ban covers every breed and every way of arriving, a private jet included.
• Cats may enter through Velana only, with a health certificate from an authorised vet, the usual cat vaccinations and a rabies vaccination given 30 days to 12 months before arrival.
• Hybrid breeds such as the Bengal and the Savannah need to be at least five generations away from the wild ancestor.
• The resort has to agree, and many resorts do not accept animals.
• Coming back to the EU, the cat needs a microchip, an EU pet passport and a rabies antibody test taken at least 30 days after vaccination and three months before re-entry, because the Maldives are not on the EU list of exempt countries. For the UK the same test applies, plus arrival through an approved route.

In the cabin the cat travels beside you, once the operator has approved it in advance.

Entry rules and customs

Before you fly: checklist

• Passports with at least one month of validity after arrival, better six.
• IMUGA declaration for each passenger within 96 hours before landing.
• Resort name, transfer type and the last possible landing time for that transfer.
• Baggage within seaplane limits or sent ahead by boat.
• Dive certificates and logbooks if you plan to dive.
• Bags packed without alcohol, pork products or vapes, all of which customs confiscates.

How to book

1. Send the resort, dates, number of guests and whether the jet should wait on the islands.
2. We choose the airport, Velana, Maafaru, Gan or Hanimaadhoo, and the landing time that matches the transfer.
3. You receive two to four options: non-stop long range, heavy jet with a fuel stop, or a Gulf combination, each with operator, model and price.
4. After signing and payment the operator applies for the landing permit with parking; you send passport details and complete IMUGA.
5. On arrival the handler takes you through immigration and on to the seaplane, the boat or the domestic flight.

Questions about private flights to the Maldives

• • How much does a private jet to the Maldives cost?

  • From Europe a Challenger 650 starts at EUR 70,000 from Larnaca without a stop, and a Praetor 600 at EUR 70,000 from Istanbul with one. From the main hubs a Global 7500 costs EUR 135,000 to EUR 165,000 one way for the whole aircraft.

• • Can a private jet land near our resort?

  • Only if the resort lies close to Maafaru, Gan, Hanimaadhoo or Maamigili. Most resorts are reached by seaplane, speedboat or a domestic flight from Velana.

• • What time should we land to reach the resort by seaplane?

  • Plan the landing for no later than 15:00 local time. Seaplanes stop flying in the late afternoon, while speedboats to the two Malé atolls keep running at night.

• • Is Maafaru a good alternative to Velana?

  • For resorts in Noonu, Raa and Lhaviyani, yes: the runway takes long-range jets, and the transfer is shorter than a seaplane from the capital.

• • Can our jet fly us from Malé to another atoll?

  • No. Flights between two airports in the country are flown by local seaplanes and the domestic airline, not by a foreign business jet.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • A Global 7500 flies from Farnborough to Velana in 11:20 h without a stop. A Challenger 650 stops once for fuel and costs less.

• • How much luggage can we bring?

  • On the jet, as much as the hold of the chosen model takes. The seaplane is the limit: about 20 kg in the hold and 5 kg in the cabin per guest, so dive gear and extra cases go to the resort by boat.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • EU and UK passport holders get 30 days free of charge when they land, with nothing to apply for beforehand. What has to be done online is the IMUGA form, for each guest, in the 96 hours before arrival.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Not to the Maldives: the dog ban has no exceptions. A cat is possible through Velana, with a vet certificate, a rabies vaccination and the resort's consent.

• • When is the best time to go?

  • December to April for calm, dry weather; May to October for lower prices, with manta season in Baa.

• • Are there Empty Legs to the Maldives?

  • They appear after Christmas, half-term and Easter, when long-range jets head back to Europe without passengers, and on Gulf and Indian routes all year. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with a direction and a range of dates.

• • Can we combine the Maldives with the Seychelles?

  • Yes. Mahé - Malé takes 3:17 h in a Praetor 500 at EUR 23,000, with a separate landing permit for each country.