What to expect from a seaplane transfer in the Maldives
- Henna Shah
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 7
What is a seaplane? Well, it is indeed a water airplane that takes off and lands on water. It is definitely a first and one-of-its-kind experience for most of us aboard a Maldivian seaplane transiting from the Velana International Airport in Male to our island resort.
We have covered our trip to the Maldives in 4 Chapters from the lens of travelling from India, experiences to include in your itinerary, adventure activities to include in your travel plan, availability of vegetarian food in the Maldives and a complete tropical holiday packing list for the Indian traveller.
You are reading Chapter 2.
Chapter 3: Vegetarian food in the Maldives
Table of contents
How to book a seaplane in the Maldives?
For most resorts, you can book the seaplane transfer with the resort itself and the transfer fee can either be pre-paid or paid at the time of checking out as part of your resort bill. While most resorts partner with Trans Maldivian Airways for their seaplane transfers, there are some that have their own seaplanes.
Alternatively, you can also book your seaplane transfer through the TMA website, however, there wouldnt be a difference in the charges and booking through the resort is better for a more convenient experience.
Maldives seaplane cost
With affordable round trip flight prices from major Indian airports to Male, the round trip fare of a seaplane transfer turns out to be more expensive for us as Indians ranging anywhere between $250 to $900. Let us understand, if this experience is worth it or not.
For example, for us to get to the Thilamaafushi Island in the Lhaviyani atoll from Male, it costed us $600 per person for a seaplane round trip.
Seaplane luggage restrictions
Upon landing at Male’s Velana International Airport, there was a Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa representative at Arrivals, waiting to receive us.
He then escorted us to the Trans Maldivan Airways check-in counter where we checked-in all our suitcases, including the cabin bags since there is no stowage on a seaplane. The baggage allowance is 20 kg of check-in and 5 kg of cabin luggage. While we were well within the limit with a total of 4 suitcases that had to be checked in due to no stowage, the staff was friendly and not very rigid about the rules.
We were only left with our backpacks and we got our boarding passes for the seaplane transfer.
Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa Lounge at the seaplane terminal
We then boarded a coach to get to the seaplane terminal to wait for our seaplane transfer at the Le Meridien Lounge. This was a shared lounge between Le Meridien & Westin guests in the Maldives. If your resort does not have a dedicated lounge then there is a common waiting area for you to relax in till you board your seaplane.
The Le Meridien lounge smelled of baked goods that were spread across the countertop beside a coffee machine. You could also request the lounge staff for some sandwiches or wraps based on your dietary preference. Maldives being an Islamic country, there was no alcohol available in the lounge.
The lounge was also equipped with a plush washroom with an automated WC with a warm seat, sensor based opening technology followed by flushing & closing.
We spent a good 3.5 hours in the lounge, waiting to board our seaplane before we were again escorted to the seaplane jetty.
Are seaplanes safe in the Maldives?
We boarded the seaplane all excited for our first one-of-its kind take off and landing on water. Maldivian seaplanes are small and crampy, but indeed a different experience.
Each seaplane sits about 12-15 guests and the crew tends to give you instructions on the seat you should take to help distribute the weight in the seaplane. They generally advise children to be seated in the middle part of the seaplane and not on either edges.
There is a short safety briefing followed by handing you a pair of ear plugs and trust me you’ll need them once you are in the air.
There is an aqua runway where you wait for your turn to take off and even if you are acrophic, the take off and landing are pretty smooth atleast in the dry season and on a clear day.
Seaplanes are generally safe and well maintained and most rides range between 30 mins to a maximum of 45 minutes within the Maldives. At times, they may even have passengers belonging to different resorts and may make a pitstop at a resort to drop the guests. The crew would then help arrange the seating of the passengers accordingly.
Arrival at the Thilamaafushi Island in the Lhaviyani atoll
After soaking in all the breathtaking aerial views of the Maldivian atolls, we landed at the Le Meridien Resort & Spa on the Thilamafushi Island in the Lhaviyani atoll. We could see the resort staff wave to us even from up above as they warmly welcomed us to our home for the next one week.
After we deboarded, the staff also took out our luggage and brought it to the reception area as we waited for our check-in.
Alternative to a Maldivian seaplane: Ferry transfer
The alternative to a Maldivian seaplane transfer is to reach your resort by ferry. Any resort with a ferry ride above 90 mins is best accessed by seaplane. You have to choose between waiting for a couple of hours in the lounge or spend more time in a ferry on the water.
If you are claustrophobic, travelling with a young infant or are overweight, you may find the seaplane ride to be uncomfortable, especially the boarding and deplaning through the narrow stairs may cause you discomfort.
Departure from the resort to the airport via seaplane
Departure timings are communicated the evening before in sync with your return flight timing by the resort staff. Our resort staff was proactive in communicating when the seaplane was arriving or if there was a delay of a few minutes. Once you’re back in Male, a coach takes you to the main Velana International Airport and someone helps with the luggage. Then you can check-in to your respective airline counter at Departures.
Last word: Is the seaplane transfer worth the price?
Our 30-40 minute seaplane ride each way was truly enjoyable for us, especially since it was our first experience. We would have preferred if the waiting time in the lounge was not more than an hour, since we were there for close to 3 to 4 hours. However, if we ever visit the Maldives again, we may opt for a resort that is easily accessible by ferry from Male to save on the seaplane transfer cost.
Having said that, no regrets on spending on it as a once in a lifetime experience!
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