Male Airport’s New Terminal: When Will It Actually Open?

While the Maldives is known for being a luxury vacation destination, the fun doesn’t really start until you get to your resort, as Velana International Airport (MLE) is kind of a mess.

The current terminal was designed to accommodate just one million passengers per year, while current passenger numbers are way more than that (between departures and arrivals, the airport currently sees roughly four million international travelers per year).

Fortunately that’s expected to change, as an impressive new terminal has been under construction for some time… when will it actually open, though?

Velana International Airport’s new terminal plans

Male Airport is expected to get a new passenger terminal, which will fully replace the existing terminal. The new terminal is expected to have the capacity to handle over seven million passengers per year, representing a massive expansion over the existing facility. The terminal will be 78,000 square meters (around 840,000 square feet), located to the south of the existing facility.

It’s not just the increased capacity that’s exciting, but also the passenger experience. The existing terminal almost feels like a bus depot, and by comparison, the new terminal should be much more competitive. The new terminal will have actual contact gates (rather than exclusively using remote stands), more immigration counters, an updated baggage system, and more.

The new terminal is also expected to feature new lounges. I haven’t actually seen details on what those new lounges will look like, so does anyone happen to which companies have been contracted for that?

It would be awesome if there were multiple lounges, and maybe even some airline-run ones (like for Emirates), but I’m not holding my breath. Going back a couple of years, Beond Airlines executives claimed the airline would have a dedicated lounge in the new terminal, so let’s see if that ends up being the case.

When will the airport’s new terminal actually open?

Construction on the new terminal at Male Airport started all the way back in 2016, so the airport has been under construction for nearly a decade now. What’s so funny is that every time I travel through the Maldives, word on the street seems to be that the new terminal will be opening imminently, the same year.

When I visited the Maldives in early 2022, those working at the airport were all telling me the new terminal would open later in the year. When I visited the Maldives in the middle of 2024 (well, just to fly Beond Airlines), the common wisdom seemed to be that the terminal would be opening the same year.

I don’t have plans to travel to the Maldives anytime soon, but for whatever reason, this project came to mind, and I wanted to check on the latest status. So, what are they saying about the new airport now?

In February 2025, during his Presidential Address, Mohamed Muizzu announced that the new terminal would be inaugurated by October 2025. So that’s just five minutes from now. Interestingly, a couple of months ago there was a promotional video of the president touring the new terminal, and if you ask me, that timeline seems unrealistic.

Don’t get me wrong, if construction were happening like it does in China, that would of course be totally possible. But given the pace at which this project has been moving (more Berlin Brandenburg than China), I remain a little skeptical.

Personally I’m not very optimistic that the “later this year” timeline now is any more accurate than the “later this year” timeline I heard in 2022, or 2024, or…

Bottom line

A game changing new terminal is planned for Male’s Velana International Airport (MLE). This will massively expand the airport’s capacity, while also offering an improved passenger experience, with better lounges, contact gates, etc.

The big question mark is when the terminal will actually open. The country claims the new terminal will open by October 2025, but I’m not so confident. I guess we’ll find out soon enough!

What do you make of Male Airport’s new terminal?