Private jet from Abu Dhabi to the Maldives

For residents of the UAE capital the Maldives is one of the closest beach destinations by air: about 3,000 km, a flight of under four and a half hours in any of the jets we quote. Families fly out for a long weekend or the school holidays, and executives combine a few days on an island with meetings at home. None needs to stop on the way, and the quickest lands after 3 h 52 min.

A twelve-seat Praetor 600 opens the price range at €31,000 for the entire aircraft, one way. Working as a broker, Maldives Private Jet asks AOC operators in the Gulf and in Europe for offers and sets them side by side.

Private jet prices from Abu Dhabi to Malé

Five aircraft are priced from Zayed International (AUH) to Velana International Airport: two super midsize jets, the Praetor 600 and the Challenger 350, the heavy Legacy 650, the Falcon 7X and the Gulfstream G650. All five fly nonstop, and the spread in flight time is only 25 minutes.

Read the figures as one-way guides for the full cabin; airport charges and passenger taxes are itemised in the quote. On a sector this short the question is cabin space rather than speed: twelve passengers in a Praetor 600 pay €2,500 each, while a Falcon 7X with 14 on board comes to €3,800 per person and offers a larger cabin.

For a stay of a week or more, a Gulf-based jet often drops you in Malé, flies home and returns on your last day, so the quote prices two empty positioning flights instead of parking and crew hotels. Parking at Velana is limited in the high season, which makes this the more practical option then as well. Routes from other cities are on the price overview.

Abu Dhabi to the Maldives: prices by aircraft

Nine aircraft are priced from Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi, one way for the whole jet, with the cost per seat in the last column.

The flight is short enough for the Praetor 600 to fly it without stopping: €31,000 and 4 h 17 min, the cheapest option from Abu Dhabi. The Global 7500, seating up to 17, costs €68,000. Twelve people in a Praetor 600 pay €2,500 each.

Price per person by group size

What each traveller pays depends heavily on how many come. Three Abu Dhabi jets are divided by group size below.

Excluded: US$960 per private jet passenger, payable to the Maldives on departure; three people flying back to the Emirates pay US$2,880.

Return flight and Empty Leg prices

Return trips to Abu Dhabi are two one-way flights, because the aircraft generally leaves Malé after drop-off and is sent back for your homeward date.

An empty Praetor 600 between Zayed International and Malé would cost an estimated €12,000 to €21,000. Operators offer such flights only when an aircraft has to reposition; shared seats are covered by Jet Sharing. Keeping the jet at Velana for your return adds parking and crew, and in high season the aircraft may have to park away from Malé.

Leaving Abu Dhabi: Al Bateen or Zayed International

The city has two airports for private flights, and the choice depends on where you start and which aircraft flies. The table is calculated from Zayed International; from Al Bateen the distance to Malé is almost the same.

At both airports an approved handling agent is compulsory, and the car brings you to the aircraft. Passports are checked on every departure from the UAE. Prescription medicines with psychotropic substances are strictly regulated in the Emirates, and the Maldives also admits controlled medicines only with a prescription, so carry the doctor's letter and no more than you need. If you are coming from Dubai, the drive from Al Maktoum to Al Bateen takes about an hour and a quarter by car, and Dubai has its own route on our page about the private jet from Dubai.

One short sector across the Arabian Sea

No aircraft in the table needs a fuel stop for the 3,025 km. The Gulfstream G650 takes 3 h 52 min, the Falcon 7X 3 h 59 min, the Legacy 650 4 h 9 min, and the Praetor 600 and Challenger 350 4 h 17 min. The route runs out over the Arabian Sea, and the operator confirms the exact time in the quote.

The UAE keeps UTC+4 and the Maldives UTC+5, and neither changes its clocks, so Malé is always one hour ahead of Abu Dhabi.

Which airport in the Maldives

Seen from Abu Dhabi, the northern atolls come first: Hanimaadhoo and Maafaru are nearer than the capital, Gan in Addu is the furthest. Prices below are for the Legacy 650 to each airport open to business jets:

Malé's Velana International Airport is still where most groups land; the formalities take place in the VIP lounge, a short car ride from the stand. From there a boat can be at a Malé-atoll resort at any hour, while seaplanes carry guests to Ari, Baa and the outer atolls during the day. Hanimaadhoo, 18 minutes shorter than Malé in the Legacy 650, serves the far north, Maafaru Noonu Atoll, and Gan the Addu Atoll. Seaplanes, domestic flights and boats are explained on the page about connections between the islands.

Passports and charges for UAE residents

Abu Dhabi's residents hold many different passports, and for the Maldives the nationality does not matter: everyone is admitted on landing for a tourist stay of up to 30 days, with no application beforehand. Each traveller should be able to show:

• Passport: machine-readable, valid at least one month beyond the arrival date, and not of the extended-validity type.
• IMUGA: the traveller declaration, submitted online no sooner than 96 hours before landing.
• Booking: a registered resort or hotel, already paid, plus the confirmed flight back and the means to pay for the stay.

The UAE airport charges and any passenger fees for your departure are listed in the quote. Heading back from Malé, foreign private-jet passengers each owe the Maldivian departure tax, US$480 (not due for under-twos), and the US$480 airport development fee. The resort invoice adds US$12 of Green Tax for every guest and day.

The Maldives turns dogs away at the border. For a cat, the vet must be an authorised one, the import permit must be issued, and notice goes in 24 hours before the jet lands; coming back into the UAE it needs a new import permit from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. Arriving in Malé, alcohol and pork are restricted; the details are on our rules page.

When to go

Weather in the islands follows the monsoons: the north-east one keeps December to April largely dry, and the south-west one brings showers from May to November, while temperatures hover between 25 and 31 °C. From Abu Dhabi the strongest demand falls in the UAE winter school break, over Christmas and New Year, and on the long weekends around Eid. The festive weeks are also the busiest for private jets at Velana, so ask early for those dates.

Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year. Resorts in the Maldives operate normally during the month; on local islands, avoid eating or drinking in public in the daytime.

Ways to pay less

Let us know the dates, the passengers and the island, and options will follow:

Best months to fly from Abu Dhabi to the Maldives

Travel from the UAE capital peaks in January, July and December. The table matches those months with the Maldivian monsoons.

For planning: Abu Dhabi has no clock change, so 10:38 local time is the cut-off in every month. Requests for January, July and December from Abu Dhabi should go in early.

Other departure points near Abu Dhabi

Elsewhere in the Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean, these cities also have priced routes to Malé:

Abu Dhabi to the Maldives: frequent questions

• • How much is Abu Dhabi to Malé by private jet?

  • Guide prices for the entire aircraft one way: Praetor 600 €31,000, Challenger 350 €34,000, Legacy 650 €46,000, Gulfstream G650 €63,000. Taxes and charges are extra.

• • What is the flying time?

  • Between 3 h 52 min (G650) and 4 h 17 min (the two super midsize jets), with the Falcon 7X at 3 h 59 min and the Legacy 650 at 4 h 9 min. No stops.

• • Do we leave from Al Bateen or Zayed International?

  • Al Bateen is closer to the city and handles business aviation only; Zayed International is nearer Yas Island and takes VIP airliners. Both are open 24 hours.

• • Can we fly there and back in a weekend?

  • Yes. With a flight of about four hours, a jet can take you out on Friday evening and collect you on Sunday, flying home empty in between.

• • Our household has several nationalities. Does anyone need a visa?

  • Nobody applies in advance. Each person receives up to 30 days at Malé immigration, as long as the passport has a month of validity left and IMUGA was submitted.

• • How much luggage can we take?

  • The jet carries what its hold allows. Resorts served by Trans Maldivian seaplanes are stricter: each guest may check one 20 kg bag and carry 5 kg on board, with US$5 plus taxes for every kilogram above that.

• • May our pets come?

  • A cat may, with a vet's certificate and a Maldivian import permit; a dog may not, as the Maldives bans them.