will be decreased from 15 minutes to 3 minutes. The previous runway only accommodated 8 flights per hour. Meanwhile, the new runway can accommodate 21 flights per hour. Facilities The airport is at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has a single asphalt runway designated 18/36 measuring . The adjacent waterdrome which serves the large seaplane operations at Velana has 4 water runways, designated NR/SL, NC/SC, NL/SR and E/W, measuring , , and respectively. Runway NL is takeoff only and runway SR is landing only due to proximities to flying restricted areas. The airport has three terminals: the International Terminal, the Domestic Terminal and the waterdrome Seaplane Terminal. The airport includes the corporate headquarters of Trans Maldivian Airways. Airlines and destinations Notes: : Turkish Airlines's flight from Istanbul to Colombo makes one stop in Malé. However, Turkish Airlines does not have fifth freedom rights to carry passengers solely from Malé to Colombo. Statistics As of October 2019, SriLankan Airlines is the largest foreign carrier into the Maldives with over 21 flights a week. Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka is the most common direct stop out of the Maldives as it is served by SriLankan Airlines, Emirates, Korean Air, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Oman Air and Saudia who operate a combined total of up to 10 flights daily between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Incidents and accidents On 18 October 1995 an Air Maldives Dornier 228 abruptly turned right, left the runway, struck the seawall and somersaulted into the adjacent lagoon while landing. The plane was written off. On 15 August 1996 a Hummingbird Helicopter MIL Mi-8P lost control after takeoff due to a loss of hydraulic pressure. Four people received minor injuries. On 17 May 2004 a Trans Maldivian Airways de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 collided with the sea-wall of runway 18 after experiencing problems taking off from the seaplane base. Both pilots and one passenger were seriously injured in the accident. The aircraft was written off. See also List of airports in Maldives References External links Official website Official twitter Official facebook Airports in the Maldives Airports established in 1960 1960 establishments in the Maldives Seaplane bases