Private jet from Bahrain to the Maldives

Bahrain International Airport is 3,458 km from Malé, a sector every jet in our table flies without refuelling, in 4 h 21 min at the fastest. Private passengers in Bahrain have their own building, the Awal Private Terminal on Muharraq, and the King Fahd Causeway makes the airport an easy departure point for travellers from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia too.

A Praetor 600 with up to 12 seats costs from €35,000 one way for the whole aircraft. Maldives Private Jet is a broker: we gather aircraft and prices from operators that hold an Air Operator Certificate and show you the options next to each other.

Private jet prices from Bahrain to Malé

We have priced five jets from Bahrain International (BAH) to Velana International Airport: the super midsize Praetor 600 and Challenger 350, the heavy Legacy 650, the long range Falcon 7X and the Gulfstream G650. All five reach Malé nonstop.

The prices apply to the whole aircraft for a single flight; passenger taxes and airport charges follow as separate lines in the quote. Per person, a Legacy 650 with all 13 seats taken comes to €3,600, a full Falcon 7X to €4,200, and four passengers in a Praetor 600 pay €8,700 each.

The aircraft can stay with you in the Maldives, at the cost of parking and crew accommodation, or fly back to the Gulf empty and come to fetch you on the agreed day, with two positioning flights of under five hours each in the price. Velana's apron is busiest in the peak months, when operators often move waiting jets to Gan. Rates from other departure cities are on the private jet prices page, and our cost calculator gives a first figure for your dates.

Prices from Bahrain for every aircraft size

Every row assumes a departure from Bahrain International Airport. For Bahrain the spread runs from €35,000 (Praetor 600) to €74,000 (Global 7500), depending on cabin size and speed.

From Bahrain International the cheapest nonstop jet is the Praetor 600 at €35,000, and with 12 on board each seat costs €2,900. A Global 7500 carries up to 17 for €74,000.

Price per person by group size

How much per person? Three aircraft from Bahrain, one way, divided by group size; over capacity means the group would not fit.

Eight passengers returning to Bahrain also pay US$7,680 in Maldivian departure tax and development fee, US$960 each, which is outside the per-head figures.

Return flight and Empty Leg prices

Return figures for Bahrain add the outbound and the homebound flight; the aircraft does not wait in the islands.

A Praetor 600 repositioning across the Arabian Sea between Bahrain and Malé might be had for €14,000 to €24,000 by a client free on its date. Such a leg appears only when an operator needs a jet moved; for shared seats see Jet Sharing. If the Bahrain jet waits on the islands, parking and crew are added, and at peak times it may park at another Maldivian airport.

Departing from Bahrain: the Awal Private Terminal

Bahrain International Airport is on Muharraq Island, next to Manama and linked to the capital by the Shaikh Isa Causeway. Its longer runway, 12L/30R, is 3,964 m long, ample for any jet on this route.

Private aviation has a separate building, the Awal Private Terminal, operated by Hala Bahrain, a subsidiary of Bahrain Airport Company. The restored building once housed the kingdom's first international airport terminal and later the headquarters of Bahrain's Civil Aviation Affairs; it now serves private aircraft owners, VIP travellers and business passengers.

The route and the time difference

From Muharraq the jet heads out of the Gulf and over the Arabian Sea. At 3,458 km none of the five aircraft needs fuel on the way: the Praetor 600 and Challenger 350 take 4 h 49 min, the Legacy 650 4 h 40 min and the Falcon 7X 4 h 29 min. With the Gulf less than five hours away, an empty return to Bahrain between your two flights is a realistic option.

Bahrain keeps UTC+3 and the Maldives UTC+5, neither with daylight saving time, so Maldivian clocks are two hours ahead of Manama throughout the year.

Arrival airports in the Maldives

From Bahrain, Hanimaadhoo in the north is the shortest flight and Gan in the south the longest. The table follows the Legacy 650 to each of the four Maldivian airports that take business jets, nonstop in all cases:

Velana, next to Malé, suits resorts in the North and South Malé atolls, which speedboats reach in 20-60 minutes day and night, and seaplane transfers to Ari, Lhaviyani and the central atolls, which need daylight; from the aircraft, a car takes passengers to the VIP lounge for immigration. Resorts in Baa, Raa and Noonu are closer to Maafaru International Airport, a seaplane hop of about 15 minutes to Baa and Raa. Hanimaadhoo serves the northernmost atolls and Gan the Addu Atoll. Seaplanes, domestic flights and boats are explained on our page on island transfers.

Documents and taxes for a flight from Bahrain

Bahraini, Saudi and expatriate passengers face the same Maldivian entry rules: a tourist visa for up to 30 days is given on arrival to every nationality, without any prior application. On landing, each traveller presents:

• a passport with a machine-readable zone, valid for at least one further month (extended passports are refused);
• the online IMUGA declaration, which may be filed up to 96 hours before landing;
• booking confirmations for a registered resort or hotel and for the return trip, and funds for the stay.

Charges for the departure from Bahrain are listed in the quote. On leaving the Maldives, a foreign passenger flying privately pays US$960 in total: US$480 departure tax (waived for children under two) and US$480 airport development fee. The Green Tax, US$12 for every guest and day, appears on the hotel or resort bill.

The Maldives refuses entry to dogs. For a cat, the authorities want an import permit, a health certificate from an authorised vet and notice given 24 hours ahead or earlier; bringing it back is a matter for Bahrain's import rules. The full customs picture, alcohol and pork included, is on our know the rules page.

Best time to travel from Bahrain

The north-east monsoon gives the Maldives its drier half of the year, December to April. Showers become more frequent under the south-west monsoon from May to November, yet the thermometer stays within 25-31 °C. In Bahrain, the National Day holidays on 16 and 17 December open the season, followed by Christmas and New Year. The two Eid holidays move about 11 days earlier every year, and in the hot Gulf summer the islands are a short, cooler escape.

More business jets land at Velana around New Year than at any other time, and with permits and parking hard to get, December trips need early planning. Outside the peaks, an urgent flight can often leave about 4 hours after confirmation, depending on where a suitable aircraft is.

How to spend less

Send us your dates, party size and resort, and we will reply with aircraft and prices from Bahrain:

Month by month: Bahrain to the Maldives

Travel from Bahrain peaks in January, July and December; the table sets these months against the Maldivian monsoons.

The time column is based on the Gulfstream G650 (4 h 21 min): Bahrain has no clock change, so 09:09 local time is the cut-off in every month. Slower aircraft or an extra stop move it earlier.

Other departure points near Bahrain

Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are the nearest alternatives, shown with their lowest guide price to Malé:

Bahrain to the Maldives: frequent questions

• • How much is a private jet from Bahrain to the Maldives?

  • One way for the whole aircraft: €35,000 in a Praetor 600, €48,000 in a Legacy 650, €68,000 in a Gulfstream G650. The quote adds taxes and airport charges.

• • How long does the flight take?

  • 4 h 21 min in a G650 and up to 4 h 49 min in the super midsize jets, all nonstop. Maldivian time is two hours ahead of Bahrain.

• • Where do private passengers check in at Bahrain airport?

  • At the Awal Private Terminal, operated by Hala Bahrain, which has its own immigration, customs and baggage handling and a private car park.

• • Can we start in Khobar or Dammam and fly from Bahrain?

  • Yes. The King Fahd Causeway links Khobar with Bahrain, with a one-stop border post. Bahrain's entry rules apply to every passenger crossing.

• • Will we reach a seaplane resort on the same day?

  • Yes, with a morning departure: leaving at 08:00 Bahrain time, every jet in our table lands before 15:00 Maldivian time, ahead of the 15:30 cut-off for seaplane transfers.

• • How much luggage is allowed on the seaplane?

  • Trans Maldivian Airways allows each guest 20 kg checked and 5 kg hand luggage; excess weight costs US$5 per kilo plus taxes.

• • When should we book for the December holidays?

  • Early. Bahrain's National Day falls in mid-December, just before the busiest weeks of the year for private jets at Velana.