How Long Does It Take To Get To The Maldives

Maldives Flights

Flights to the Maldives

Our Maldives holidays usually include flights British Airways or Emirates. Sri Lankan and Qatar Airlines are also available as alternative options. All flights to the Maldives land at Male Airport in North Male Atoll.

British Airways operates direct flights between London Gatwick Terminal 5 and the Maldives during the winter period, usually between the end of October and the end of March. Flying time is approximately 10.5 hours.
Flights from Gatwick to Male operate on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, departing the UK early evening and arriving in the Maldives the following morning.
Flights from Male to Gatwick operate Monday, Thursday and Saturday, departing the Maldives late morning and arriving in the UK early evening on the same day.

Emirates operates indirect flights from multiple UK airports via Dubai, allowing guests to break their journey with a few days in the Middle East or continue straight on to the Maldives.
Flights to and from Dubai operate on a daily basis from Birmingham, Glasgow, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, and Newcastle. Flying time is approximately 7.5 hours.
Flights between Dubai and Male operate on a daily basis with a flying time of approximately 4.5 hours.
Flights from the UK with just a short stop in Dubai arrive in Male the following day. Flights from the Maldives with a short stop in Dubai usually arrive back in the UK the same day.

Sri Lankan Airlines operates indirect flights from London Heathrow Terminal 3 to the Maldives via Colombo.
Flights operate on a daily basis, leaving the UK in the evening and arriving in Male the following afternoon or evening after a short stopover. The flight time from London to Colombo is approximately 11 hours, followed by a flight of approximately 90 minutes onwards to the Maldives.

Qatar Airways operates indirect flights from London Heathrow Terminal 4 to the Maldives via Doha.
Flights operate on a daily basis, either leaving the UK in the afternoon and arriving in Male the following morning or leaving the UK in the evening and arriving in Male the following afternoon. The flight time from London to Doha is approximately 7 hours, followed by a flight of approximately 5 hours onwards to the Maldives.

Transfers in the Maldives

Due to the unique nature of the Maldives where every resort is on a separate island, transfers from the international airport (Male) are by speedboat, seaplane or domestic flight.

Please note that if your international flight arrival coincides with another flight, then there is a possible risk of a long delay, particularly if you are transferring to a seaplane flight. We recommend that if you are planning to stay at a Maldives resort that involves a seaplane flight, that you choose to travel at times that do not coincide with scheduled arrival or departure of charter flights – our travel specialists can advise you of this.

Seaplane transfers
If guests are staying at a resort that involves a seaplane transfer, they will be taken to the seaplane terminal. Some luxury resorts have their own private lounge within the terminal.
Please note that seaplanes do not operate after dark or in poor weather. Seaplane transfers are co-ordinated and operated by the hotels, and the departure times are outside our control. This may therefore involve waiting in transit at the beginning or end of your holiday, and if you prefer you can take a hospitality suite at Hulhule hotel adjacent to the airport. This can be arranged and paid for locally as necessary.
Baggage for seaplane flights is strictly limited to 20kg, plus 5kg of hand luggage.
Due to limited space available for luggage storage and the need to strap down all luggage before passenger boarding, all over-sized hand luggage/trolley bags and back packs will be retrieved at check-in as part of the luggage. The only hand luggage allowed to the seaplane boarding step are small ladies handbags or laptop bags/brief cases which will be stored by the cabin crew in the aft luggage compartment of the seaplane as part of the passenger safety procedures.

Domestic flight transfers
It is possible to reach some resorts by domestic flight and speedboat transfer. The domestic terminal is just a few minutes' walk from the international terminal at Male airport. Domestic flights operate through the day and night, but may stop off at other islands en route to your destination. Baggage is restricted to 20kg of checked in luggage plus 5kg of hand luggage.

Speedboat transfers
Transfers by speedboat are usually very smooth when crossing atolls but can be more choppy in the open sea. It is possible that guests will see dolphin and other marine life during their journey.

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