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Maldives to build bizjet-focused airport in north to boost luxury tourism

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Maldives has awarded a project to develop an airport with extensive facilities for private jets in the northern Noonu Atoll, home to some of the most luxurious resorts in the world-famous holiday destination.

The project to develop an airport on the island of Maafaru was awarded to The Sun Siyam Resorts, a local company that operates three resorts in the Maldives including The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi resort in Noonu Atoll. The agreement was signed on Wednesday by tourism minister Moosa Zameer and The Sun Siyam Resorts’ director Ali Mauruf.

Tourism minister Moosa Zameer (L-2) and The Sun Siyam Resorts’ director Ali Mauruf (R-2) sign the agreement to build an airport in Maafaru. PHOTO/ TOURISM MINISTRY

Mauruf told journalists attending a signing ceremony at the tourism ministry in capital Male that the airport would be operational in two years. It would be developed with a 1.8-kilometre runway along with state-of-the-art facilities for private jets, he added.

“Noonu Atoll has some of the most expensive resorts in the Maldives. These ultra luxury properties are chosen by high net worth individuals who often travel in their own jets. This airport will do away with the need for them to transit at the main Velana International Airport and park the jets there,” Mauruf, who also serves as a member of parliament, said.

He also announced that a transit hotel with 50 beds would be built along with the airport in Maafaru. The total project, he said, is estimated to cost USD18 million.

In a statement, tourism ministry said the Maafaru airport would have space and facilities to accommodate six private jets at a time. The public private partnership agreement also allows the company to develop a transit hotel and a separate resort on reclaimed land linked to the airport, it added.

Noonu Atoll is located about 180 kilometres north of capital Male on the southern edge of the Maldives’ northernmost geographical atoll.

Existing high-end resorts in Noonu Atoll include the Velaa Private Island, The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, Cheval Blanc Randheli,  Zitahli Resort and Spa, and the recently opened Soneva Jani. Several new resorts, including those by international hotel chains, are being developed in the atoll.

A private villa in the luxury Cheval Blanc Randheli resort in Noonu Atoll. PHOTO/ CHEVAL BLANC

Maldives, the most dispersed country on the planet with 1,192 islands spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres, already has 11 airports, including three international airports. The country’s flagship carrier Maldivian operates flights to all the airports in the country while a private airline flies to a few select airports.

Government has contracted developers to build several new domestic airports across the country, with the latest being a USD57.7 million contract with Malaysia’s Gryphon Energy Corporation to develop airports in five islands; Kulhudhuffushi in northern Haa Dhaal atoll, Funadhoo in northern Shaviyani atoll, Nilandhoo in southern Faafu atoll, and Maavarulu and Fares-Maathoda in southern Gaafu Dhaal atoll.

As the government gears up to launch several new airport development projects across the archipelago, a domestic airport being developed on the island of Kudahuvadhoo in Dhaalu Atoll is set to begin test flights towards the end of this month.

The USD20 million airport, which has been built on 64 hectares of land reclaimed from the lagoon of Kudahuvadhoo, is part of the development of the newly opened Kandima Maldives resort. The resort, which opened last month, is located a 20-minute boat ride away from the airport.

Domestic airports in the atolls will benefit locals who often travel to capital Male as well as boost tourism by reducing the price of domestic travel to resorts in the atolls from the main Velana International Airport. Several resorts, especially those in outer atolls now depend on more expensive seaplane transfers.

Over a million tourists from across the globe visit the Indian Ocean island nation every year to holiday in one of the 120 resorts and 300 plus guesthouses located in all corners of the country. The multi-billion dollar tourism industry, which is the country’s main economic activity, relies heavily on the domestic transport infrastructure, especially air travel.

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Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space

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Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.

Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.

Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:

  • Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
  • Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
  • Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
  • Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration

Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:

  • A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
  • A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
  • The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.

Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.

True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.

The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:

  • Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
  • Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.

These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.

With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.

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BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet

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Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.

The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.

According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.

With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.

The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.

BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.

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