Flying to the Maldives Just Became More Expensive With Increased Airport Fees

Updated: November 25, 2024, 4:00pm CST

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The Maldivian Airport Fee Hike in Practice
Final Thoughts

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The Maldives is increasing taxes and fees on air departures, imposing much greater costs on visitors to the popular Indian Ocean holiday destination.

The hikes take effect in December and vary according to what cabin you’re flying in. Taxes and fees double for business class, almost double for economy, almost triple for first class, and quadruple for private jets. The increases affect tickets booked with points as well.

The government is also raising other taxes levied on visitors, starting next year.

Let’s see what is changing and how this might affect visitors to the Maldives.

The Maldivian Airport Fee Hike in Practice

The Maldivian government is struggling to repay its debt, and it’s scrambling to find revenue. That’s why it has resorted to big tax hikes on foreign visitors.

Travel industry publication TTG Asia reported that the increases affect both the Departure Tax and the Airport Development Fee, which passengers pay when departing from the Maldives. These new fees will go into effect for bookings made on or after December 1, 2024.

This means a cumulative levy of $100 for foreign passengers in economy class, up from the current $60. Business-class passengers will pay double: $240 instead of $120. First-class passengers will pay almost triple, jumping to $480 from $180. Passengers on private jets will pay 4 times as much — $960 going forward.

Maldivian nationals traveling in economy class will not be subject to increases. Maldivians in all other classes, or on private jets, will pay as much as foreigners.

The changes are summarized in this table, and prices are in USD:

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Travel Class	Maldivians	Foreigners
Economy	$12 — no change	Increase from $30 to $50
Business	Increase from $60 to $120	Increase from $60 to $120
First	Increase from $90 to $240	Increase from $90 to $240
Private	Increase from $120 to $480	Increase from $120 to $480

In the case illustrated in the image below — a round-trip booking from New York to Male via London in business class on British Airways for January 2025 — you can clearly see the Maldivian Airport Fee and Airport Development Fee, totaling $120 at current levels.

Maldives Fees in ticket — Image Credit: British Airways

Because this booking was made in November in 2024, Maldivian taxes are levied at the current amount. The same booking made on or after December 1, 2024, would incur double the Maldivian airport taxes — or $240 for business class.

Hot Tip:

The Maldives is a very popular destination for booking with points and miles. That means it’s often challenging to find award seats at saver prices to Male (MLE). Consider flying into Colombo (CMB), Sri Lanka, on your way to the islands; it’s just about an hour by air from the Maldives and often has much more award availability. This trick won’t avoid the Maldivian tax and fee increase, but it may well save you a lot of points.

Other taxes affecting visitors to the Maldives are increasing too.

From July 1, 2025, the Tourism Goods and Services Tax will go up to 17% from 16%, TTG reported. From January 1, 2025, a so-called green tax will double to $12 per person per day at resorts with more than 50 rooms. It’s doubling to $6 for smaller resorts.

From January 1, 2025, resorts with an average daily rate over $800 will be required to exchange $500 per visitor into local currency, a move intended to boost the Maldivian government’s dwindling reserves of foreign currency.

Final Thoughts

Upcoming hikes on taxes and fees are coming to the Maldives. For a typical Maldivian vacation, involving 5 nights at a resort with more than 50 rooms and a business-class flight, you can expect to pay $300 in airport fees and green taxes from January 1, 2025.

That’s compared to $150 in fees at present, and it doesn’t account for the 1% increase in the Tourism Goods and Services Tax, which takes effect in July.

To take advantage of the current, lower airport fees, book your flight to the Maldives by November 30. For the increased green tax and Tourism Goods and Services Tax, though, there’s not much you can do if your vacation is planned for next year.