Search “domestic airports Maldives” and you’ll get a different number every time — 13, 15, 18. That’s not sloppy journalism; it’s a moving target. The Maldives has opened more airports in the last five years than most countries open in a generation, and two of them — Muli and Faresmaathodaa — are so new that most existing lists don’t include them at all.
This is the current, atoll-by-atoll list, current as of July 2026, with IATA/ICAO codes, opening years, and operating status for each field.
Domestic airports at a glance
| Airport | Atoll | IATA | ICAO | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dharavandhoo Airport | Baa | DRV | VRMD | 2012 | Operating |
| Ifuru Airport | Raa | IFU | VREI | 2015 | Operating |
| Kulhudhuffushi Airport | Haa Dhaalu | HDK | VRBK | 2019 | Operating |
| Hoarafushi Airport | Haa Alifu | HRF | VRAH | 2020 | Operating |
| Funadhoo Airport | Shaviyani | FND | VRCF | 2020 | Operating |
| Madivaru Airport | Lhaviyani | LMV | VRGD | 2022 | Operating |
| Dhaalu Airport (Kudahuvadhoo) | Dhaalu | DDD | VRMU | 2018 | Operating |
| Thimarafushi Airport | Thaa | TMF | VRNT | 2013 | Operating |
| Muli Airport | Meemu | MUM | VRKM | 2025 | Operating (newest field) |
| Kadhdhoo Airport | Laamu | KDO | VRMK | Late 1980s | Operating |
| Kooddoo Airport | Gaafu Alifu | GKK | VRMO | 2012 | Operating |
| Kaadedhdhoo Airport | Gaafu Dhaalu | KDM | VRMT | 1993 | Operating |
| Maavarulu Airport | Gaafu Dhaalu | RUL | VRQM | 2020–2022* | Operating |
| Faresmaathodaa Airport | Gaafu Dhaalu | FMT | VRQF | 2025* | Recently opened, limited schedule |
| Fuvahmulah Airport | Gnaviyani | FVM | VRMR | 2011 | Operating |
*Sources disagree on the exact opening date — see the note below.
Villa International Airport (Alifu Dhaalu, VAM) and Hanimaadhoo, Maafaru, and Gan run mixed domestic/international schedules; they’re covered separately in our international airports guide since sources classify them differently depending on whether India/Sri Lanka routes are active that season.
Why the count keeps changing
Three things move the number, and knowing them explains every conflicting figure you’ll see elsewhere:
Reclassification. Hanimaadhoo, Maafaru, and Villa (Maamigili) all started as domestic fields and were later upgraded to international status once regional flights to India or Sri Lanka began. Depending on when a source was written, the same airport gets counted on either side of the domestic/international line.
Construction lag between “opened” and “commercial.” Muli Airport had its regulatory test flight in April 2025 and reached full commercial readiness the following month — a gap that trips up any list written mid-2025. Faresmaathodaa is currently in the same window: built and technically open, but not yet running a full public schedule, so some sources count it and others don’t.
Government pipeline announcements get counted as “existing.” Several tourism sites cite 20 land-based aerodromes or reference 15 additional domestic airports planned for 2026–2027 as though they’re already operating. Planned and operational are different things — this list only counts fields that are actually accepting scheduled flights today.
Net result: 15 domestic airports are currently operating across the Maldives’ atolls, plus the four mixed-status fields (Hanimaadhoo, Maafaru, Villa, Gan) that shift between domestic and international depending on the season’s route map.
Domestic airports by region
Northern atolls
This is the densest cluster — five domestic fields packed into the north, largely because resort growth here outpaced Malé’s ability to serve them by seaplane alone.
- Dharavandhoo (Baa Atoll) — the gateway to Hanifaru Bay’s manta ray aggregation site inside Baa’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
- Ifuru (Raa Atoll) — a reef-island airstrip built specifically to shorten transfers for Raa’s resort cluster.
- Kulhudhuffushi (Haa Dhaalu Atoll) — the newer of two airports in Haa Dhaalu, sitting alongside Hanimaadhoo.
- Hoarafushi (Haa Alifu Atoll) — opened in 2020, ending Haa Alifu’s dependence on Hanimaadhoo for any land-based access.
- Funadhoo (Shaviyani Atoll) — a 2020 addition that gave Shaviyani its first airport of any kind.
Central atolls
- Madivaru (Lhaviyani Atoll) — opened February 2022; before this, Lhaviyani was seaplane-only, meaning every resort transfer ran through Velana’s seaplane terminal in daylight hours only.
- Dhaalu Airport, Kudahuvadhoo (Dhaalu Atoll) — built on reclaimed land with a 1,800-metre runway, long enough for Dash-8 and ATR-72 aircraft plus private jets.
- Thimarafushi (Thaa Atoll) — connects Thaa via a transfer through Velana; there’s no direct seaplane alternative here.
- Muli (Meemu Atoll) — the newest airport in the country. Meemu had no airport of any kind until Muli opened in 2025; every resort and guesthouse in the atoll previously required a multi-hour speedboat run from Velana.
Southern atolls
- Kadhdhoo (Laamu Atoll) — one of the oldest domestic fields, dating to the late 1980s.
- Kooddoo (Gaafu Alifu Atoll) — the sole airport for Gaafu Alifu, serving flights from Gan, Kadhdhoo, and Malé.
- Kaadedhdhoo (Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll) — most passengers here transfer onward by speedboat rather than staying near the airport.
- Maavarulu (Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll) — a second field in the same atoll as Kaadedhdhoo, added to handle overflow demand from the Huvadhu Atoll region.
- Faresmaathodaa (Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll) — the third airport in Gaafu Dhaalu and one of the two newest in the country; still building up its flight schedule.
- Fuvahmulah (Gnaviyani Atoll) — the only airport on this single-island atoll, best known outside aviation circles as the country’s tiger shark diving hub.
Kooddoo, Kadhdhoo, Kaadedhdhoo: don’t mix them up
These three names look nearly identical in print, and it’s the single most common point of confusion for anyone booking a southern-atoll transfer. Quick disambiguation: Kadhdhoo serves Laamu Atoll, Kooddoo serves Gaafu Alifu, and Kaadedhdhoo serves Gaafu Dhaalu. They’re three different atolls, three different airports, roughly 40–80 km apart from each other by air — booking the wrong one adds hours to a resort transfer, not minutes.
Which domestic airport actually matters for your trip
The airport list only matters in practice if it tells you which one applies to your resort. Three quick rules:
- If your resort’s transfer info names a domestic airport directly (common for Laamu, Gaafu, and Meemu resorts), your journey is: international flight into Velana → connecting domestic flight → speedboat. Budget 3–5 hours door-to-door.
- If your resort only mentions “seaplane transfer,” it likely sits in an atoll without its own airport (or one where seaplane is simply faster than the domestic-flight-plus-boat route) — Baa and Lhaviyani resorts increasingly have both options now that Dharavandhoo and Madivaru are open.
- If you’re island-hopping independently rather than staying at one resort, Maldivian (the flag carrier) operates the widest domestic network; Manta Air and Flyme cover specific regional routes. Check which airline serves your target airport before booking — not all domestic fields have daily service from all three carriers.
FAQ
How many domestic airports does the Maldives have? 15 are currently operating with scheduled flights, as of mid-2026. A further four airports (Hanimaadhoo, Maafaru, Villa, Gan) run mixed domestic/international schedules depending on the season.
What’s the newest domestic airport in the Maldives? Muli Airport in Meemu Atoll, which reached full commercial operation in May 2025 — the first airport of any kind in that atoll’s history.
Which atoll has the most domestic airports? Gaafu Dhaalu, with three: Kaadedhdhoo, Maavarulu, and Faresmaathodaa.
Do all domestic airports have daily flights? No. Older, higher-traffic fields like Kadhdhoo and Kooddoo run multiple daily flights; newer or lower-demand fields like Faresmaathodaa currently operate a lighter schedule that’s still being built out.
