Planning to travel to the Maldives? You may end up spending up to an additional $720 in taxes on flights booked from December 1, 2024 onward.
The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) recently announced tax and fee increases which will soon affect passengers flying out of the Male Velana International Airport (MLE). Depending on which fare type you book, you may end up paying as much as $720 more to leave the island chain.
Increased Airport Development Fee (ADF)
As the name suggests, the Airport Development Fee is used to partially finance maintenance and other developmental projects at Male Velana International Airport. Introduced in May 2017, the ADF is now split into four categories depending on the class of travel, with the following increases coming into effect from December 1, 2024:
| Fare Type | Old Fee | New Fee on tickets issued from Dec 1, 2024 onward |
|---|---|---|
| Economy Class | $30 ($12 for locals) | $50 ($12 for locals) |
| Business Class | $60 | $120 |
| First Class | $90 | $240 |
| Private Jet | $120 | $480 |
This fee will be listed as something with “H9” appended to the description. There are a few exceptions as persons with diplomatic immunity and transit passengers on “direct transit” flights are exempt from paying the ADF. This means that transit passengers other than those on direct transit flights and children below the age of 2 years would also be subject to ADF.
Increased Departure Tax
If you’re leaving the Maldives out of Velana International Airport, you will also be subject to increased Departure Tax fees as follows:
| Fare Type | Old Tax | New Tax on tickets issued from Dec 1, 2024 onward |
|---|---|---|
| Economy Class | $30 ($12 for locals) | $50 ($12 for locals) |
| Business Class | $60 | $120 |
| First Class | $90 | $240 |
| Private Jet | $120 | $480 |
The departure tax code will be listed as an entry with “BQ” appended to the title. Again, there are a few exceptions. Persons with diplomatic immunity, transit passengers, and children below the age of 2 years are exempt from paying the departure tax.
These increases are only applicable to international flights leaving the Maldives island chain via Male Airport, and are not applicable to intra-island flights. Just like before, these fees are automatically included in your ticket price, and do not need to be paid separately at the airport.
With the double whammy, travelers will be looking at the following cumulative increase:
- Economy: $100 ($40 increase) – No increase for Maldivians
- Business: $240 ($120 increase)
- First: $480 ($300 increase)
- Private charters: $960 ($720 increase)
Other on-island tax increases
Unfortunately the tax increases don’t stop at the airport. As of January 2025, tourists staying at any resort with more than 50 rooms can expect to pay a daily green tax of $12 (an increase from $6) while those staying at resorts with 50 rooms or less will pay $6 (an increase from $3).
Tourism goods and services tax will also increase from 16% to 17% from July 2025.
Thoughts
Being an island chain, it’s expected that taxes may go up from time to time to help sustain development and economy, especially given that the Maldives survives almost solely off tourism. However it’s strange that these taxes are not applicable on a tiered basis depending on the length of flight.
Those flying in from Europe, far Asia and through the Middle East may not feel the pinch, but I suspect flights to India and Sri Lanka could see a 25%-35% bump in price. For instance, a one-way flight from Male to Colombo sells for around $130, and will go up to $170 with all things being equal.
However that tax increase looks pale in comparison on a one-way flight from Male to Doha for instance. Economy fares go for around $600-$900 depending on who you fly, and an additional $40 really is just a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme.
Featured image: Asad Photo Maldives/Pexels
