Malé International Airport

Velana International, commonly referred to by its IATA code MLE and formerly called Malé International, is the sole major airport of the Maldives and the unique aerial gateway to one of the world's most tourism-dependent economies — visitor arrivals contribute roughly a third of GDP, and essentially all of them pass through this single facility. The airport occupies Hulhulé Island in the North Malé Atoll, just across a narrow lagoon from the capital city, and is connected to Malé and the urban satellite of Hulhumalé by the Chinese-built Sinamalé (China-Maldives Friendship) Bridge, opened in 2018. A single 3,400 m (11,155 ft) asphalt runway — a second, parallel code-F-capable runway was added in 2018 with Chinese construction financing and opened in 2022 — supports approximately 74 routes to 53 destinations through 41 airlines, a carrier count unusual for such a small country. Maldivian, the national airline, operates a mixed jet and seaplane fleet; Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Edelweiss, SriLankan, IndiGo, Air India, Hainan Airlines, and numerous charter carriers provide global connectivity. London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Moscow, Istanbul, and Riyadh all see direct nonstop service. The airport's most distinctive feature is its connection to the archipelago's island resorts: after landing, most arriving visitors transfer to seaplanes operated by Trans Maldivian Airways (the world's largest seaplane operator by fleet size) or Manta Air, or to speedboats run by individual resorts. Trans Maldivian's seaplane base adjacent to the runway handles hundreds of daily movements. Passenger traffic reached approximately 3.5M in 2023. A major terminal expansion doubling capacity to 7.5M passengers is under phased completion.