Departure
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Velana International Airport, still widely known as Malé International Airport, is the principal gateway to the Maldives, sited on Hulhulé Island in Kaafu Atoll just across the water from the capital, Malé. Operated by the state-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited, it offers a single long paved runway with ILS guidance on both approaches, making it a striking destination for a simulator pilot flying a low-lying coral-atoll approach surrounded by open ocean. Its history spans from a rudimentary steel-matting strip in 1960 to a modern hub serving Maldivian, BeOnd and Trans Maldivian Airways, alongside an active seaplane base.
Velana International Airport (still commonly called Malé International Airport) sits on Hulhulé Island in Kaafu Atoll, a short crossing from the capital island of Malé. It is operated by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) and serves as the principal international and domestic gateway for the entire Maldivian archipelago. For a simulator pilot it offers an interesting low-elevation, over-water approach to a single long runway, plus the added character of an adjoining seaplane base used by Trans Maldivian Airways for onward flights to the resort islands.
The airport lies on Hulhulé Island in Kaafu Atoll, in the North Malé Atoll area of the Maldives, immediately adjacent to the capital island of Malé, to which it is connected by the Sinamale Bridge. Field elevation is 3 ft, reflecting the flat, low-lying coral atoll terrain typical of the archipelago. As the country's principal international aerodrome, it forms the focal point of Maldivian airspace, with approach control covering the surrounding atoll region.
The airport has a single physical runway aligned 18/36, built of hard-paved (asphalt) surface and equipped with ILS on both approach directions. Recorded lengths are 9,919 ft for runway 18 and 10,006 ft for runway 36, reflecting the extended, ICAO Code E-compliant pavement completed as part of the airport's runway expansion project.
Radio services recorded for the airport are Approach on 119.7 MHz, Ground on 121.6 MHz and Tower on 118.1 MHz. The runway is equipped with ILS on both 18 and 36, providing instrument approach guidance for arrivals over water from either direction.
Hulhulé Island itself, joined to Malé by the Sinamale Bridge, is the principal visual reference for locating the airport, with the capital's dense urban skyline providing an unmistakable landmark immediately to the west across the water. The airport sits within the North Malé Atoll, surrounded by open ocean and reef, giving a clear, isolated visual picture on approach.
The airfield began life as Hulhulé Airport, opened on 19 October 1960 with a runway of slotted steel sheets measuring 75 ft by 3,000 ft; the first aircraft to land was a Royal New Zealand Air Force Bristol Freighter, and the first commercial flight, an Air Ceylon Avro 748, arrived on 10 April 1962. In May 1964 the government and people of Malé built a new asphalt runway through a community effort involving volunteers from the island's four districts, competing for a prize for the fastest work; this runway opened on 12 April 1966. Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) was formed on 1 January 1994 to operate the airport, and on 1 January 2017 it was rebranded Velana International Airport, after the family house name of former President Ibrahim Nasir. The airport was briefly privatised from late 2010 under a consortium led by GMR Group and Malaysia Airports, before the concession was terminated in late 2012 and MACL reinstated as operator. A major expansion added a new 3,400 metre runway, completed in September 2018 and brought fully into scheduled use by 2022, together with a new seaplane terminal opened in October 2022.
The airport today comprises an International Terminal, a Domestic Terminal and a dedicated Seaplane Terminal, and serves as the corporate base for Trans Maldivian Airways' seaplane operations. It functions as the principal hub for Maldivian and BeOnd, connecting the Maldives to international carriers and to domestic services across the atolls. The site is operated and managed by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).
