Private jet to Lhaviyani Atoll

Lhaviyani lies north of Malé and east of Baa, and its resorts are among the quickest to reach by seaplane from the capital: Cocoon Maldives gives 30 minutes, Atmosphere Kanifushi 35 and Hurawalhi 40. There is no airport for business jets in the atoll. A private flight to Lhaviyani therefore lands at Velana International Airport, and everything after that depends on the seaplane and its daylight hours.

That makes the landing time the most important line in the flight plan. Maldives Private Jet, a charter broker that books aircraft from operators holding an Air Operator Certificate, plans the departure from Europe, the Gulf or Asia backwards from the last seaplane your resort can offer, and sends the arrival details to the resort once the contract is signed.

How the trip works

The jet parks at Velana and the passengers are driven to the VIP/CIP building for passport control and customs. From there the resort host takes them to its lounge at the seaplane terminal, and the seaplane lands at the resort jetty half an hour to forty minutes later. Bags are weighed for the seaplane, so the resort needs to know in advance about anything beyond the usual allowance; Six Senses Kanuhura, for example, confirms 25 kg checked and 5 kg of hand baggage per guest.

Inside Lhaviyani, Madivaru island has a domestic airport with a 1,200 m runway, run by Island Aviation Services and served by scheduled Manta Air flights. It is a strip for turboprops, not for business jets, and the resorts in the table below publish the seaplane as their transfer. If you land too late for it, ask whether your resort can arrange an alternative through Madivaru. Permits, handling and the VIP/CIP building are explained on the page about how private jets are handled at Velana.

Lhaviyani resorts and their seaplane times

A shared seaplane may land at another resort first, which is one reason why the same atoll can show 30 minutes for one island and 40 for another. Where a resort offers a private seaplane, it flies direct and can be timed to the arrival of the jet.

Arrival day: working back from the seaplane

1. Last seaplaneHurawalhi names about 16:00 as its usual last departure from Malé, and Trans Maldivian Airways names 15:30 as the latest arrival time for a connection the same day. Take 15:30 as the latest landing time.
2. Formalities at VelanaAllow time for the drive to the VIP/CIP building, passport control and the transfer to the resort lounge. We add this to the plan rather than land at the very last minute.
3. Departure from homeFrom Geneva or Paris a Gulfstream G650 needs 9 h 20 min to 9 h 42 min, so an evening take-off in Europe lands you in the Maldives in the morning, well inside the seaplane window.
4. Plan BIf the jet is delayed and misses the last seaplane, guests spend the night in Malé or Hulhumalé, at their own cost according to Hurawalhi, and fly on the next morning.

Diving the Shipyard

One of the best-known dive sites of the atoll is the Shipyard, where two wrecks lie in a channel. The bow of one of them still rises above the surface and can be seen from boats crossing the atoll; the other lies on its side at about 30 m. According to Visit Maldives, the current through the channel has covered both hulls with soft and hard corals, and the site attracts sweepers, butterflyfish and Napoleon wrasse, as well as nurse sharks and grey reef sharks. Dive trips are organised by the resorts and guesthouses in Lhaviyani.

Currents in Maldivian channels can be strong, so a wreck dive suits divers with some experience. Plan the last dive at least a day before the flight home, and ask the dive centre for the interval it recommends. Activities across the country, including the manta and whale shark areas of other atolls, are described on the page about what to do in the Maldives.

Guide prices for a flight to Lhaviyani

Prices cover the whole aircraft one way to Velana and exclude passenger taxes and fees. For every city the table uses the large cabin jet from our data, flying nonstop:

Ten passengers on the Gulfstream from London pay €13,500 each, and six on the Legacy 650 from Riyadh €8,500 each, before taxes. The route pages show more aircraft classes, for example Geneva to the Maldives; for the Gulf, the page about private flights from Riyadh has the same detail.

A lower budget: Challenger 350

The super midsize Challenger 350 seats up to 10 and flies nonstop from the Gulf and Hong Kong; from Hong Kong it costs €38,000 less than the Gulfstream. From Geneva, Paris and London it stops once for fuel, which brings the journey to around twelve hours and makes an early landing for the seaplane harder to plan.

Both classes can also fly to Maafaru in Noonu, at the same price or up to €5,000 less from these cities. That only helps if your resort can collect you there, which the Lhaviyani resorts listed above do not publish; details of the airport are on the page about private jets to Maafaru.

Seasons and ways to save

For a flight in the festive season, ask for the permit and the parking stand at Velana as soon as your resort booking is confirmed. Leaving the Maldives costs each foreign private-jet passenger US$480 in tax and another US$480 in airport development fee; both are itemised in the quote.

Questions about private jets to Lhaviyani Atoll

• • Which airport do private jets use for Lhaviyani?

  • Velana International Airport in Malé. Madivaru, the airport inside the atoll, takes only domestic turboprops.

• • How long is the seaplane from Malé to Lhaviyani?

  • Between 30 and 40 minutes, depending on the resort and on whether the seaplane stops at another island on the way.

• • What is the latest landing time for a same-day transfer?

  • About 15:30 at Velana. Hurawalhi gives around 16:00 as the usual last seaplane departure to the resort.

• • What happens if we miss the last seaplane?

  • You stay overnight in Malé or Hulhumalé and fly to the resort the next morning. Ask your resort whether it offers a later route via Madivaru.

• • Can we bring golf clubs or dive gear?

  • Yes, but the seaplane has a weight limit per guest, so tell the resort in advance and book extra weight. Space on the jet depends on the aircraft, which we choose with your luggage in mind.

• • How much does a private jet from Geneva cost?

  • A Gulfstream G650 flies to Velana nonstop in 9 h 20 min for €125,000, one way for the whole aircraft. A Challenger 350 costs €81,000 with one fuel stop.

• • Is there good diving in Lhaviyani?

  • Yes. The Shipyard, with two wrecks in a channel, is one of the best-known sites, and resorts and guesthouses in the atoll run trips there.

• • Can we combine Lhaviyani with another atoll?

  • Yes, usually by seaplane. Inter-atoll flights in a foreign-registered jet are arranged through local operators and quoted on request.