Private jet from Miami to the Maldives

From South Florida the Maldives lies almost exactly on the other side of the world, and there is no nonstop airline service. A private jet keeps the whole trip in one aircraft, interrupted only by a landing for fuel, usually somewhere in Europe. We price it from Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport: a Gulfstream G650 or a Global 7500 gets to Velana International Airport in Malé in 19 h 22 min, the stop included.

Accepting two refuelling stops in a Challenger 650 brings the guide price down to €180,000 for the entire jet, one way; with a single stop, the Falcon 7X is the cheapest at €240,000. Maldives Private Jet is a broker: we collect offers from operators holding an Air Operator Certificate and compare them for you.

Private jet prices from Miami to Malé

We quote four aircraft from Opa-locka to Velana. The Falcon 7X, the G650 and the Global 7500 refuel once on the way; the heavy Challenger 650, with up to 12 seats, needs two stops. The G650 and the Global 7500 share the fastest time, and the Global offers the largest cabin, with up to 17 seats.

Prices are guide figures for the whole jet, one way, before passenger taxes and airport charges; those are itemised in the quote. Between the Challenger 650 at €180,000 and the Falcon 7X at €240,000 the trade is money against time: the second stop makes the trip almost two hours longer.

Per traveller, a full Challenger 650 costs €15,000, a G650 with 16 passengers €15,600 and a Global 7500 with 17 passengers €15,800.

For the flight home, the operator compares two set-ups: the crew and aircraft stay in the Maldives, with parking and hotel nights charged, or the jet flies back across the Atlantic empty and returns for you. If another client needs an aircraft in the Indian Ocean around your dates, the second option can become the cheaper one. For a rough figure before you write to us, try the flight cost calculator.

All aircraft from Miami with prices

For Miami, the calculation starts at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. For Miami the spread runs from €180,000 (Legacy 650) to €270,000 (Global 7500), depending on cabin size and speed.

Every aircraft from Miami lands at least once on the way; the Gulfstream G650 needs the least time, 19 h 22 min. The Legacy 650 is the lowest price, €180,000, for 22 h 20 min. Per traveller, nothing beats a full Legacy 650: €13,800 each with 13 on board.

Price per person by group size

Divide a Miami charter among more people and each share drops quickly. Three aircraft are split by group size in the table.

Each passenger also owes the Maldives US$480 tax plus a US$480 development fee on departure, which is US$7,680 for eight people flying back to Florida.

Return flight and Empty Leg prices

For a week or longer in the Maldives, the return price is two separate one-way flights between Miami and Malé, as the aircraft does not normally wait.

On this long route our Empty Leg estimate uses the Challenger 650: about €72,000 to €125,000, 30 to 60% below charter. The date follows someone else's booking; see the Empty Legs page for alerts. Keeping the jet in the islands for your return adds parking and crew, and in peak season it may park away from Malé.

Departing from Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport

Opa-locka (OPF), run by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, is a business and general aviation airport about 12 miles (19 km) north-west of downtown Miami and 7 miles north of Miami International. It is open 24 hours a day, and its longest runway, 9L/27R, measures 8,002 ft (about 2,440 m).

• Runway and heat. A long-range jet leaving with fuel for an ocean crossing needs a long take-off run, and the run grows with the temperature. The operator calculates the take-off weight for the day's conditions and plans the first sector accordingly.
• Night departures. Because the airport is open around the clock, a flight can leave at the hour that suits the arrival time in Malé.
• Paperwork. There is no outbound passport check in the United States. The operator transmits the passenger manifest to US Customs and Border Protection before departure, so we ask for passport details when you confirm.
• The way back. Opa-locka has a customs facility for international arrivals, so the return can land where you left.

Across the Atlantic: fuel stop, routing and crew rest

The great-circle line from Miami to Malé crosses the North Atlantic, Europe and the Middle East before reaching the Arabian Sea. That makes a fuel stop in western Europe or around the Mediterranean the natural choice, for example in Ireland, the UK or Greece; the operator decides where, based on winds, permits and handling. Over the Middle East the operator follows the current conflict-zone advice and picks a corridor accordingly, which can add distance.

Nearly 20 hours of flying and refuelling is beyond the duty limits of a standard crew. Operators plan extra crew for long sectors: either a larger crew that rests in turns on board, or a second crew positioned at the fuel stop. If you would rather break the trip, a night in a European city at the stop turns it into a two-day journey without a change of aircraft.

Arrival airports in the Maldives

From Miami, Hanimaadhoo in the north is the quickest to reach and Gan in the far south the slowest, 42 minutes apart. The Global 7500 is priced to each, with one fuel stop:

At Velana in Malé the group is taken from the aircraft to the VIP lounge, where the passports are stamped. Resorts in the two Malé atolls, North and South, are linked by speedboat day and night; seaplanes to the outer atolls, from Ari to Baa and Lhaviyani, leave only between sunrise and sunset. Hanimaadhoo is the gateway to the far north, Maafaru serves Noonu with Baa and Raa a short seaplane flight away, and Addu Atoll is reached through Gan. The options are compared on our page about seaplanes, boats and domestic flights.

Documents and taxes for a flight from Miami

No visa has to be arranged before the trip: the Maldives grants every nationality a tourist visa on arrival for a stay of up to 30 days. Before boarding in Miami, make sure each traveller has:

• a passport with a machine-readable zone, valid on arrival for a month or more (one whose validity has been extended will be turned down);
• a prepaid, confirmed booking at a registered resort, hotel or guesthouse, proof of the journey out of the Maldives and enough money for the stay;
• the IMUGA traveller declaration, completed online no more than 96 hours before landing.

The quote lists any US charges on the international departure and the fees at the fuel stop. Leaving the Maldives, each non-Maldivian passenger of a private jet is charged a departure tax of US$480 and an airport development fee of US$480; children under two pay no departure tax, though the fee still applies. During the holiday itself, US$12 of Green Tax per person and day appears on the resort bill.

When Miami travels to the Maldives

The islands are driest between December and April, the months of the north-east monsoon, and wetter from May to November, when the south-west monsoon sets in. It is warm in every month, between 25 and 31 °C.

Requests from Florida cluster around Thanksgiving, the Christmas and New Year holidays and spring break. The New Year period is also the peak for private aviation at Velana, so landing permits and parking there should be secured early. Outside the peaks, an urgent departure can sometimes be arranged within about 4 hours of confirmation, if a suitable jet is nearby and the airports allow.

How to pay less on this route

Which dates, how many people, which resort, and would a stopover night in Europe be welcome? Send us the answers here:

When to fly from Miami: a monthly calendar

Travel from Miami to the Maldives peaks in April, July and December. The table sets those holiday months next to the monsoon seasons.

The time column is based on the Gulfstream G650 (19 h 22 min with one stop): leave Miami by 10:08 the day before in winter or 11:08 the day before in summer, local time; Malé does not change its clocks. Slower aircraft or an extra stop move it earlier.

Other departure points

For comparison, these are the lowest guide prices to Malé from New York, Toronto, Los Angeles and Reykjavik:

Miami to the Maldives: frequent questions

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

  • €180,000 is the lowest figure, for a Challenger 650 refuelling twice, one way and for the whole jet. Jets that stop once: Falcon 7X €240,000, Gulfstream G650 €250,000, Global 7500 €270,000. Taxes and charges are added in the quote.

• • How long does the trip take?

  • 19 h 22 min in a G650 or Global 7500, 19 h 58 min in a Falcon 7X and 21 h 54 min in a Challenger 650, fuel stops included. A night at the stop adds about a day.

• • Why can't we fly nonstop?

  • The distance of more than 15,600 km is beyond the range of the business jets we quote, so at least one landing for fuel is part of every plan.

• • Where is the fuel stop?

  • Usually in Europe or around the Mediterranean, but the operator chooses the airport according to winds, permits and handling.

• • What time should we leave Miami?

  • For an outer-atoll resort reached by seaplane, take off in the morning, by about 10:00 in winter, and you land the next afternoon. For a resort near Malé reached by speedboat, any time works.

• • Do US citizens need a visa?

  • No. The visa for up to 30 days is given on arrival; the passport has to be machine-readable with at least one month of validity, and the IMUGA form is filed within 96 hours before landing.

• • Is there a luggage limit?

  • The jet itself is rarely the problem. The seaplane is: Trans Maldivian Airways carries 20 kg of checked bags and 5 kg of cabin bags per guest, and charges US$5 per additional kilo plus taxes.