Ibrahim Nasir International Airport or Male International Airport, to give it its more popular name serves as the main gateway to the beautiful, isolated islands of the Maldives. Despite the name, the airport is situated on the small man-made Hulhule Island rather than nearby capital island Male, and has regular ferries to Male. Flights to Male International Airport arrive daily from all over Europe, Moscow, Dubai, and Asian hubs such as Singapore, Bangkok, Guangzhou and Tokyo, with extra flights in season.
The city of Male is only 1.7km (1 mile) long and 1km (0.6 miles) wide, but has more than 100,000 people living on it – by some measures, one of the most densely populated places in the world. You can walk all over the city in an hour or two and most sights are a mere 15-minute walk from the airport ferry jetties.
Previously government-run, the airport was handed over to a private company at the end of 2010, and major upgrades, due to be complete by 2014, are underway. Currently operating at a capacity of 2.6 million passengers, the new terminal has been planned to handle five million passengers a year.
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There is currently only one terminal, although another is being built as part of an extensive upgrade of the airport.
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Train: There are no train services in the Maldives.
Bus: There are no bus services in the Maldives. Public transport is mostly limited to a few taxis, which charge a flat rate of about US$2.
Ferry: You can catch public ferries to Male if you aren't being picked up by a guide or hotel representative – just turn right as you leave the airport building and head for the dock. They take 20 minutes to get there, leave every 15 minutes or so, and costs about US$1.
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Money and communications: The Bank of Maldives in the arrivals area has currency exchange facilities. There is also a post office in the departures area.
Luggage: There are free trolleys in the departure and arrivals sections of the airport, a left-luggage facility in the arrivals area (US$3 a day) and a general lost-and-found desk in the departures area.
Conference and business: Maldivian Airlines has a spacious lounge in the departures section with free Wi-Fi, PC workstations, complimentary snacks and drinks, newspapers and magazines, and a TV. The Airport Cyber Cafe has PCs and laptop plug points.
Other facilities: The airport has a 24-hour healthcare centre, pharmacy, mosque, free shower room and baby-changing facilities.
Wi-Fi: There is pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi available in the terminal, and free Wi-Fi in the First-Class lounges.
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