Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic are adding flights to Velana International Airport in Malé from late October, as the Maldives heads into its busiest tourist season.
Qatar Airways will operate 21 flights a week between Doha and Malé from 25 October, which works out to three flights a day, according to the airline's winter schedule. It currently flies 12 times a week on the route. Doha is a major connecting point for travellers from Europe and other Western markets.
Virgin Atlantic says its seasonal direct service between London Heathrow and Malé returns on 27 October 2026. The airline says it will fly three times a week until 1 December, when daily flights begin.
The extra flights come as the government pursues its target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals in 2026. Figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation show 1,611,434 tourist arrivals as of 7 October, down 3.5 per cent on the same period last year.
Neither airline has said how many extra seats the new schedules add, and the Maldives Airports Company has not commented on the increase.