Velana
International Airport
The gateway to the Maldives and the only field in the country that takes a jet. One 11,155 foot runway on the reef island of Hulhule, open with customs at all hours, a Maldivian landing permit filed at least 48 working hours ahead, a seaplane terminal that handles the last leg to the resort, and parking that is confirmed with the permit rather than assumed. Our Male private jet guide covers the runway, handling, the permit, parking and the onward transfer for crews and charter clients.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 15 September 2026
The Airport
Male at a glance
Velana International Airport carries the ICAO code VRMM and the identifier MLE. A single runway of 11,155 feet by 200 at 6 feet elevation on Hulhule, the reef island across the bridge from the capital Male, opened in October 2022 to take the largest long-haul types.
It is open with customs and immigration at all hours, run by Maldives Airports Company, and every private or charter flight needs a landing permit from the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority before it departs, with the parking confirmed on the same file.
Facts checked against Maldives Airports Company publications and the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority permit requirements, plus Icarus Jet operations data.
The Role
One runway for the whole country
Every jet into the Maldives lands at Velana. The resort islands are reached by seaplane from the terminal on the same island, by speedboat from the jetty, or by domestic turboprop to a regional strip and boat from there, and the desk books that leg with the jet, because the seaplanes fly in daylight only and the last lift to a distant atoll is mid afternoon. A late arrival into Male is a night in a Hulhule or Male hotel, planned in advance rather than discovered on the ramp.
The peak runs from November to April, with the Christmas and New Year fortnight the tightest two weeks of the year for parking, seaplane seats and resort transfers together. The desk asks for firm dates early for that window and confirms the parking before the aircraft is positioned.
Operating
The permit, the parking and the paperwork
A landing permit from the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority is mandatory for private and charter flights, filed at least 48 working hours before departure and ideally 72, and valid for about 72 hours around the requested schedule. The authority keeps weekday office hours, 0800 to 1600 local, so a request that lands on a Friday afternoon is a Monday permit. The file is the schedule, the routing, the crew and passenger details and the aircraft documents, and the aircraft must be disinsected under the Maldivian air transport circular, which the handler arranges.
Parking is the constraint. The apron carries the scheduled widebodies and the general aviation fleet together, and in season a business jet is given a stand for the turnaround and asked to reposition, most often to Colombo or Trivandrum, if it wants to wait for its passengers. The desk confirms the parking with the permit and prices the repositioning from the start when the stay is a week. Handling is through Maldives Airports Company or an appointed general aviation handler, Jet A-1 is available at all hours, and customs and immigration run around the clock.
History
From a coral strip to a 3,400 metre runway
Hulhule Airport opened on 19 October 1960 as a short strip on a reef island, was rebuilt as an international airport through the tourism boom of the 1980s and 1990s, and took the name Velana on 1 January 2017. The new 3,400 metre runway opened in October 2022, the seaplane terminal the same month with room for more than a hundred aircraft, and a new passenger terminal in July 2025 built for seven and a half million passengers a year.
For business aviation the practical result is a runway that takes any jet made, a seaplane operation that is the largest in the world on the same island, and a parking problem that the growth has not solved. The desk plans around the last of those.
Nearby
Male and the fields around it
Male is planned with the sectors that reach it. The Gulf fields the desk flies from most, then the European departure points on the long-haul.
Dubai, from either field, is about four hours and the sector the desk flies most, with Riyadh and Jeddah a little longer. From London, Zurich or Geneva it is a ten hour sector on an ultra long range jet or a fuel stop in the Gulf on a heavy jet, and the seaplane at the far end is booked with the aircraft.
Airport guides & index
Questions
Male, answered
Can private jets fly into the Maldives?
Yes, into Velana International at Male, the only airport in the country that takes a jet. An 11,155 foot runway, customs and immigration at all hours, handling through the airport company or an appointed general aviation handler, and a Maldivian landing permit filed ahead. The resort is then a seaplane, speedboat or domestic flight away.
Do I need a landing permit for the Maldives?
Yes, for private and charter flights alike, from the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority. The desk files at least 48 working hours ahead and prefers 72, the permit is valid for about 72 hours around the schedule, and the authority keeps weekday office hours, so a Friday request is a Monday permit.
How do I get from Male to the resort?
By seaplane from the terminal on the same island for most resorts, by speedboat from the jetty for the near ones, or by domestic turboprop and boat for the far atolls. The seaplanes fly in daylight only and the last departure to a distant resort is mid afternoon, so the desk times the jet to make it or books the night in Male.
Can the aircraft wait at Male?
For a turnaround, yes. For a week in season, usually not: the apron is shared with the scheduled widebodies and the general aviation fleet, and a business jet is asked to reposition, most often to Colombo or Trivandrum. The desk confirms the parking with the permit and prices the repositioning from the start.
How long is the runway at Velana?
Runway 18/36 is 3,400 metres by 60, about 11,155 feet by 200, asphalt, at 6 feet elevation, opened in October 2022. It takes any business jet made and the long-haul widebodies that serve the island.
Is ground handling mandatory at Male?
Every arrival is handled, through Maldives Airports Company or an appointed general aviation handler, and the handler arranges the disinsection the Maldivian regulations require. The desk appoints the handler with the permit and the fuel.
When is the peak season?
November to April, the dry season, with the Christmas and New Year fortnight the tightest two weeks of the year for parking, seaplane seats and resort transfers. May to October is the wetter season with easier parking and the same runway.
Is fuel available at Male?
Yes, Jet A-1 at all hours, arranged through the handler ahead of arrival. On the Gulf sectors the desk prices the tankering question both ways, and on the long-haul from Europe a fuel stop in the Gulf on a heavy jet against a nonstop on an ultra long range type.
How far is the airport from Male?
Velana is on Hulhule, the island next to the capital, joined to Male by the bridge since 2018, about ten minutes by road. Most passengers never go to Male: the seaplane terminal and the jetty are on the airport island.
Is Velana open 24 hours?
Yes. The airport, customs and immigration run around the clock. The seaplanes do not, which is what sets the arrival time for a resort transfer.
Which aircraft fly to the Maldives?
Super midsize and heavy jets from the Gulf, ultra long range jets nonstop from Europe, and heavy jets from Europe with a Gulf fuel stop. Every quote names the type against the sector and the parking plan at Male.
What time zone are the Maldives in?
Maldives Time, UTC+5, all year with no daylight saving; some resorts run their own clocks an hour ahead for the light. The desk files the permit in UTC and confirms the local times at both ends and the seaplane departure in resort time.
Flying into Velana International Airport on your own aircraft? Our trip support desk files the permission, handling and fuel before you ask. Chartering instead? See the Dubai to the Maldives and the other Gulf routes we fly.
Get Your Number
Request a Maldives charter
Tell us the dates, the passengers and the resort. We file the Maldivian permit, confirm the parking or price the repositioning, book the seaplane or boat with the aircraft, and time the arrival to make the last lift.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7, or send the trip online.