Velana International Airport (VIA) has served a total of 8.28 million passengers in 2025, marking a seven percent increase compared to the previous year.
Figures released by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) show that 5.38 million of these were international passengers, underscoring VIA’s role as the main gateway to the Maldives.
Domestic passenger numbers reached 1.17 million last year, while a further 1.73 million passengers travelled through the world’s busiest seaplane network.
VIA also recorded its highest-ever passenger numbers in a single day last year. On 28 December 2024, a total of 27,381 passengers passed through the terminal, marking the busiest day in the airport’s history.
Seaplane operations also reached a peak on 16 February, when 7,439 passengers were served in a single day.
In terms of air traffic activity, a total of 249,214 air traffic movements were recorded in 2025, representing an eight percent increase compared to the previous year. This included 34,868 international flights, 28,348 domestic flights, and 185,998 seaplane flights.
MACL said the growth was driven by an increase in tourist arrivals to the Maldives, along with improvements in inter-island transport connectivity.
The rise in passenger and flight numbers reflects VIA’s growing operational capacity and highlights the continued popularity of the Maldives as a global tourist destination. MACL noted that ongoing infrastructure development at the airport is expected to further increase these figures in the coming years.