With no other way of getting to the Maldives, high-end travellers have been flocking to the destination using private jets.
The Maldives has experienced a sharp rise in the number of private jets arriving to the archipelago, driven by disruption to major flight routes through the Middle East.
War was ignited in the Middle East on 28 February, when the US and Israel joint-launched surprise strikes on Iran, resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous Iranian officials.
With airports in the Middle East being a main hub for those wanting to get connecting flights usually, the Maldives saw a total of 128 private jets land on its shores between 28 February and 14 March.
This is a 166 per cent increase compared with the same period last year when 70 aircraft touched down.
Daily arrivals have more than doubled, rising from about five per day to over 12, with a record 18 jets arriving in a single day on 3 March.
These figures, released by Maldives Airports Company Limited, show high-end travellers are choosing private aviation for direct access to the destination, to avoid delays and cancellations from the Middle East war.
The Maldives has seen a surge in private jets arriving to the country since the Middle East conflict began, with 128 landings between 28 February and 14 March
This is a 166 per cent increase compared with the same period last year when 70 aircraft touched down (stock)
But commercial airlines are also taking note of the high demand for direct access to the Maldives – with inter-connecting flights through the Middle East off the cards.
Prices for direct flights from the UK have been hugely impacted and have sharply risen recently.
Several direct return tickets from London to Malé travelling between April 4 and 11 are now coming to over £3,000 with select airlines.
Direct returns with Virgin Atlantic currently amount to a whopping £3,394 on Skyscanner,
Google Flight data notes the prices for those dates are ‘currently high’ and the site shows a sharp increase from prior to March.
Results on Skyscanner shows direct return Virgin Atlantic flights from the UK to Malé have surged to as much as £3,394
Commercial airlines are increasing flights to the Maldives as a result, offering alternatives to Middle Eastern transit routes due to shifting demand.
During April and May, 2026, Edelweiss Air will increase its Zurich-Malé route to three or four flights per week, which will then rise to five weekly flights.
Air India has also added 78 flights to Maldives and other destinations between 10 March and 18 March to manage travel disruptions. Its revised network has seen the addition of around 17,660 seats.
In addition, Aeroflot is expanding flights from Moscow to the likes of Male, Phuket, Bangkok and Colombo in response to increased tourist demand and instability in the Middle East.
Many Brits were left stranded in the Maldives due to their flights home, through the Middle East, being cancelled.
One of those is Andrea Pendrey, who was forced to miss her breast cancer treatment after her return flight was cancelled.
Andrea Pendrey and her partner had set off to the Maldives for a break before she started her treatment.
But the couple haven’t been able to fly home due to the missiles raining down across the Middle East – and have been forced to foot what is expected to be a £12,000 bill themselves.
Andrea was set to start her treatment on Thursday, 5 March, and had been desperately searching for rescheduled flights to get home.
‘Even though this place is paradise, we’ve been crying and feel really upset,’ Andrea said.
Most travel insurance policies do not cover war and conflict, meaning if a holidaymaker’s travels end up disrupted by the current situation in the Middle East, they may not be be entitled to help or compensation from their provider.
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