Velana International Airport handled 1.62 million passengers across its international, domestic and seaplane facilities during the second quarter of 2026. Statistics released by Maldives Airports Company Limited showed that international travellers formed the largest group. The figures confirm the airport’s central role in connecting the island nation with overseas markets and resort destinations.

The international terminal processed 1.04 million passengers during the quarter. Domestic services carried 242,104 passengers, while the airport’s seaplane facility served 341,792 people travelling across the archipelago. April recorded the busiest individual days in two categories, with 18,924 international arrivals on April 5 and 5,707 seaplane passengers on April 12.

Flight movements were especially high for seaplanes because of the number of short connections needed to reach island resorts. Velana recorded 36,295 seaplane movements during the three-month period, compared with 6,714 international and 5,957 domestic movements. These operational figures show how the airport manages three different forms of aviation within one national gateway.

Tourism Ministry data showed that the Maldives had welcomed more than 1.3 million tourists so far this year at the time of the report. Velana handled 97.7 per cent of those foreign arrivals, far more than any other airport in the country. The concentration places strong operational demands on its terminals, runways and seaplane services during busy travel periods.