The Maldives are a beautiful string of islands off the southern tip of India. After being owned by the Dutch and British successively, they gained their independence in 1965 and became a republic. Currently the only way to fly in and out of the Maldives is through Malé International Airport. The country has upgraded another airport, the Gan, to international standard but it is currently only used for domestic flights.
The Malé International Airport is located on the island of Hulhulé, relatively near the capital of Male. The runway looks straight out over the water, as there isn't much space on this collection of atolls. Taken altogether, the entire country has about 1.7 times the landmass of Washington D.C.
The first runway opened on October 19, 1960, made of slotted steel sheets with a dimension of 75- by 3,000-feet. Later, asphalt replaced the slotted steel. The first plane to land on the runway was an air force transport plane from New Zealand. The first airport facility was called Hulehule Airport and opened in 1966. After considerable expansion and renovation, it was reopened as Malé International Airport in 1981.
The airport's international code is IATA. It is run by a semi-private corporation called Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), which is made up of a board of directors who are appointed by the president.
First and foremost, the airport provides air traffic services. It also provides the traditional safety functions of an airport including fire and rescue services and aviation security services. The airport does its own in-flight catering and is associated with the nearby Hulhulé Island Hotel.
The Malé International airport serves destinations as far-flung as Dubai, Bologna and Singapore. Most foreign flights into the airport are operated by Srilankan Airlines, which runs 23 flights per week into the Maldives. The airport has only one runway, so the flight schedule is limited.
