File IMUGA before you fly; know whether your onward leg is seaplane, domestic landplane, or speedboat before you exit immigration.

Complete the free Traveller Declaration on imuga.immigration.gov.mv within 96 hours of arrival (and again for departure when required). Tourist visas are granted on arrival for eligible travellers when entry requirements are met — IMUGA is not the visa. Seaplane legs are daylight-only; missed afternoon banks become overnight Malé/Hulhumalé hotel problems. Allow 15–20 minutes to walk T1↔T2 with bags if you self-connect domestic, and follow the seaplane operator shuttle to Noovilu rather than walking across the airfield.

Screenshot T1 vs T2 vs Noovilu on your boarding pass and transfer voucher before you clear immigration.

Ignore stale “one tiny terminal” guides. Since the Jul 2025 inauguration and Feb 2026 domestic consolidation reporting, all scheduled international flights use Terminal 1; land-based domestics use Terminal 2; floatplanes use Noovilu after a landside check-in / shuttle from the T1 side. There is no sterile link. Taxi ranks are concentrated on the T1 side — domestic arrivals often shuttle or walk before finding the main curb.

Koveli is entitlement/paid and dry; PP soft rooms are Moonimaa (landside domestic) and Huvandhumaa (seaplane only).

Maldivian rules keep alcohol off inhabited islands including the airport campus, so even Koveli is soft-drink / mocktail only. Priority Pass holders without airline lounge access should use Moonimaa before international check-in (landside, max 2h) or Huvandhumaa only if already at the seaplane terminal. Landside sealed water and a simple meal beat chasing nonexistent PP airside rooms in T1.

H1 2026 already ~4M passengers on one paved runway and daylight seaplanes — build buffers into same-day resort connections.

MACL posted 8.28M passengers and ~294k movements in 2025 with seaplanes making up the majority of movements. Tropical showers, crosswinds, and afternoon thunderstorms delay floatplanes first; the single 18/36 asphalt runway still concentrates international banks. Watch operator SMS / resort WhatsApp more than generic third-party delay apps once you are airside for a transfer.

File IMUGA before you fly; know whether your onward leg is seaplane, domestic landplane, or speedboat before you exit immigration.

Complete the free Traveller Declaration on imuga.immigration.gov.mv within 96 hours of arrival (and again for departure when required). Tourist visas are granted on arrival for eligible travellers when entry requirements are met — IMUGA is not the visa. Seaplane legs are daylight-only; missed afternoon banks become overnight Malé/Hulhumalé hotel problems. Allow 15–20 minutes to walk T1↔T2 with bags if you self-connect domestic, and follow the seaplane operator shuttle to Noovilu rather than walking across the airfield.

Screenshot T1 vs T2 vs Noovilu on your boarding pass and transfer voucher before you clear immigration.

Ignore stale “one tiny terminal” guides. Since the Jul 2025 inauguration and Feb 2026 domestic consolidation reporting, all scheduled international flights use Terminal 1; land-based domestics use Terminal 2; floatplanes use Noovilu after a landside check-in / shuttle from the T1 side. There is no sterile link. Taxi ranks are concentrated on the T1 side — domestic arrivals often shuttle or walk before finding the main curb.

Koveli is entitlement/paid and dry; PP soft rooms are Moonimaa (landside domestic) and Huvandhumaa (seaplane only).

Maldivian rules keep alcohol off inhabited islands including the airport campus, so even Koveli is soft-drink / mocktail only. Priority Pass holders without airline lounge access should use Moonimaa before international check-in (landside, max 2h) or Huvandhumaa only if already at the seaplane terminal. Landside sealed water and a simple meal beat chasing nonexistent PP airside rooms in T1.

H1 2026 already ~4M passengers on one paved runway and daylight seaplanes — build buffers into same-day resort connections.

MACL posted 8.28M passengers and ~294k movements in 2025 with seaplanes making up the majority of movements. Tropical showers, crosswinds, and afternoon thunderstorms delay floatplanes first; the single 18/36 asphalt runway still concentrates international banks. Watch operator SMS / resort WhatsApp more than generic third-party delay apps once you are airside for a transfer.