Maldives – the archipelago in the Indian Ocean has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the past year or so. With the strained relationship with India, subsequent boycott – which went beyond social media trend. It is set to be more expensive to visit Maldives starting tomorrow with the Maldivian Inland Revenue Authority announcing the increase in departure tax on passengers.
The Maldives Civil Aviation Authority is increasing departure tax levied on passengers departing from Maldives. Starting Dec 01, 2024, Economy class passengers will have to pay USD 50 instead of USD 30, an increase of USD 20 or 66% higher than before. The tax doubles from USD 60 to USD 120 for Business Class passengers. Air India (erstwhile Vistara operations) is the only carrier offering Business Class services between India and Maldives. Interestingly, Maldives Civil Aviation Authority does not classify Premium Economy separately and charges the same as economy, a service which Air India provides from both Mumbai and Delhi. The increase in tax is also applicable for First Class (from USD 90 to USD 240) and Private Jets (from USD 120 to USD 480). All the rates are per passenger.
The increase is not just restricted to departure tax, but exactly the same increase is applicable as airport development fee as well. The prices are added to the airline ticket and passengers need not worry about paying them at departure or maintaining adequate cash for this. The airlines then deposit it as part of settlement.
Currently, three carriers operate between India and Maldives with IndiGo operating daily service from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kochi, while Air India operates from Mumbai and Delhi which are erstwhile Vistara flights. Air India had launched Maldives last winter but did not return this time around. Maldivian – the local carrier of Maldives operates twice a week to Bengaluru and four times a week to Kochi and Trivandrum.
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