Private jet to Noonu Atoll

Noonu is one of the few resort atolls with an international airport of its own. Maafaru International lies inside the atoll, so a long-range jet can land a short boat ride from the villa instead of in Malé. Robinson places its club on Orivaru about 200 km north of the capital; by the routes most guests take, that is 40 to 45 minutes by seaplane from Velana, or a scheduled flight to Maafaru followed by a speedboat.

For a private flight the choice is therefore less about the seaplane and more about where the jet should land. As a charter broker we compare aircraft offered by operators holding an Air Operator Certificate, and for a Noonu stay we normally price both airports and check with the resort which transfer it runs from each.

Why Noonu suits a private jet

In most atolls a business jet stops at Velana and the guests continue by seaplane, which flies only in daylight. Noonu breaks that pattern. The Civil Aviation Authority includes Maafaru in its short list of airports open to private aircraft, the airport clears international passengers, and several resorts collect their guests there by speedboat. A boat transfer does not depend on a seaplane slot, which gives more freedom with the landing time; the resort confirms its last boat of the day.

Maafaru is run by Island Aviation Services, the state company behind the airline Maldivian, and it is also served by scheduled domestic flights from Malé. That matters when the jet has to land at Velana, for example because the group starts with a few nights in Malé: the guests can fly on to Maafaru on a scheduled flight, which is not limited to daylight like the seaplane; the resort checks the evening timetable. Runway, apron and passenger facilities are covered in our guide to Maafaru International Airport.

Three ways to arrive

Noonu resorts: transfers from each airport

The times below come from the resorts themselves. Where the table says to ask the resort, that route is not published, which does not mean it is impossible; we find out before the flight is booked.

Cheval Blanc Randheli, the other large name in the atoll, arranges seaplane and speedboat transfers on reservation, and Four Seasons at Voavah in Baa also collects guests from Maafaru. For a guest landing on a private jet at Maafaru the speedboat times in the middle column start at the airport itself, without the domestic flight.

Days in and around Noonu

Each Noonu resort occupies its own island, and most guests spend their days there; dive centres and excursions vary from one resort to the next. The nearest documented manta areas lie in the neighbouring atolls: Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll, a protected site in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, from May to December, and the reefs of Raa, where mantas move between the eastern and the western side with the monsoon. The sites and seasons of Raa are listed on our page about private flights to Raa Atoll. Ask your resort whether it runs trips there, since places in Hanifaru Bay are limited.

Two resorts in one holiday are easy to combine from Noonu, for example a week in Noonu followed by a few nights near Malé before the flight home. The move goes by seaplane or domestic flight; jet legs inside the country, in an aircraft registered abroad, are arranged through local operators and quoted on request.

Guide prices to Maafaru

Each city is shown with the long-range aircraft we usually suggest for it, nonstop in every case. Prices are one way for the whole jet; passenger taxes and fees are extra.

Twelve passengers sharing the Gulfstream from Zurich pay €10,000 each, and eight in the Legacy 650 from Mumbai pay €3,800 each, before taxes. The Zurich to the Maldives route page lists lighter and heavier aircraft for the same trip.

Challenger 350: Maafaru or Velana

The Challenger 350, a super midsize jet seating up to 10, is the lower-cost alternative. The table compares its price and time to both airports, so you can see what landing in Noonu changes:

The two airports are almost level on price; Maafaru is a little cheaper from Europe, Dubai and Mumbai, and identical from Singapore, where the flight to Velana is even two minutes shorter. What decides the airport is therefore the transfer, not the fare. More aircraft for these routes are listed on the London to the Maldives page, and departures from South East Asia on the page about private jets from Singapore.

Parking, peak season and lower fares

Maafaru does more than receive guests: in the peak weeks, jets that cannot find a stand at Velana are parked there until the return. A jet that stays in the Maldives for the holiday therefore needs its stand booked together with the permit, especially over Christmas and New Year, the peak of private aviation in the Maldives.

• Request the flight as soon as the resort booking is confirmed, and from November to March allow a month or more for permit and stand.
• Send the resort name and the planned landing time; we confirm the boat or seaplane before the contract.
• List all luggage, golf and dive bags included, so that the resort can plan the boat or seaplane; seaplanes usually allow a checked bag of 20 kg and 5 kg of hand luggage per person.
• Every traveller fills in the free IMUGA declaration in the 96 hours before landing.
• Budget US$960 per foreign passenger for the two charges due on departure, the tax and the development fee.

With flexible dates, an Empty Leg to or from the Maldives is typically 30 to 60 % below the price of a normal charter, and shared private flights let a smaller party pay per seat. For travel between Malé and the resorts in other atolls, see the page about airport transfers in the Maldives.

Questions about private jets to Noonu Atoll

• • Can our private jet land in Noonu?

  • Yes. Maafaru International Airport is inside the atoll and open to private aircraft, with border control for international arrivals.

• • How far are the resorts from Maafaru?

  • Soneva Jani is about 10 minutes by speedboat, Noku Maldives and Siyam World about 15 minutes and Robinson Noonu about 30 minutes.

• • Should we land at Maafaru or Velana?

  • Maafaru, if your resort collects guests there and you want the shortest transfer. Velana, if the group combines the resort with Malé or the resort only works with seaplanes from Velana.

• • Can we reach Noonu after an evening landing at Velana?

  • Often yes, by a scheduled domestic flight to Maafaru and the resort speedboat. The seaplane is not an option after dark.

• • How much is a private jet from Zurich to Maafaru?

  • The whole Gulfstream G650 costs €120,000 one way and flies nonstop in 9 h 1 min. A Challenger 350 costs €79,000 with one fuel stop.

• • Is Maafaru cheaper than Malé?

  • Slightly, on some routes: by €1,000 or €2,000 in most of the examples here and by €5,000 in the Gulfstream from London. From Singapore, and in the Gulfstream from Zurich or Moscow, the price is the same. The bigger saving is the time spent on the transfer.

• • Can the jet stay at Maafaru during our holiday?

  • Yes, if the stand is booked with the permit. In the festive season stands fill up, so we request it early.

• • Do you operate the flights or the airport?

  • Neither. We are a broker: the aircraft are operated by certified companies, and Maafaru airport is run by Island Aviation Services.