The national airline is Island Aviation Services (Q2) (website: www.island.com.mv).

None.

Hulule International (MLE) (Malé) on Hulule Island is 2km (1.2 miles) from Malé (journey time by boat – 15 minutes). To/from the airport: Boats travel from the airport to Malé. Boats from the various island resorts meet each arriving plane to take visitors to their accommodation. There is no scheduled transfer from Hulule Island to the other islands. Maldivian Air Taxi and Trans Maldivian Airways operate special transfer trips to most resorts. If an advance booking has been made, representatives of the resorts will receive tourists at the airport and will take care of all onward transport arrangements. Facilities: Left luggage, first aid, bank, duty-free shops, snack bar, post office and restaurant.

Many cruise ships stop over at the Maldives islands as part of their itinerary.

Internal air services are operated by Island Aviation Services, linking Malé with Kaadedhdhoo, Kadhdhoo and Gan. There are also services to Hanimaadhoo in the north, although these islands will not be on most visitors’ itineraries.

A number of companies operate twin-otter and float plane services around the Maldives. The transfer from the airport to the resort islands may be an optional extra on the tour. These services are also available for trips around the islands.

Visitors generally remain on their resort island for the duration of their stay, although island-hopping trips by ferries are widely available. Local charter boats are also easily available for hire. High-speed boats meet arrivals at the airport, supplied by the resort they are booked with, and boats are available for hire at the ferry counter near the jetty area. The speedboats connect the airport with Ari Atoll and some outlying islands. The indigenous inhabitants, however, live a parochial life and tend to visit only Malé, and even then irregularly.

Travel on individual islands does not present any problem since few of them take longer than half an hour to cross on foot. In Malé, it is possible to take taxis.