The Republic of Maldives is located on the archipelago of the same name. In fact, this cluster of atolls is a scattering of paradise islands in the Indian Ocean, seven hundred kilometers southwest of Sri Lanka. Holidays in the Maldives allow the tourist to feel like a kind of Robinson Crusoe, because some of the atolls are still uninhabited. Of the approximately 1,200 coral islands, only 200 are inhabited. And the Maldives are the first contenders to go under water if the level of the world ocean rises due to global warming. And there is a reason for that. The highest point of the island nation rises above sea level by only two and a half meters. Tourists are attracted to the Maldives by a mild tropical climate, pristine white sand beaches, coral reefs with numerous inhabitants, and blue lagoons. The water in the sea is so transparent that divers from all over the world come here. But we are not going to advertise holidays on paradise islands here. Let's focus on just one practical question: how much to fly to the Maldives from Moscow? After all, this is of interest to many travelers traveling to the archipelago for the first time.
Long road in the sky
Russian tourists like the Maldives, because to enter the territory of the Republic you do not need to be vaccinated in advance, and passing through passport control will not take much time. There is also no need to apply for a visa to the country. Holidays in the Maldives can not be called budget. But the impeccable service is worth it. On sparsely populated atolls, anonymous millionaires, showbiz "stars" and other sophisticated public are accustomed to relaxing. Everything here speaks of luxury and super-premium amenities. And there is only one unpleasant circumstance that tourists are forced to experience twice during a vacation. This is a long flight. And although there is a direct flight "Moscow - Maldives", the travel time is still quite long - about nine hours.
How to calculate flight time?
Departure and landing hours are indicated on the ticket. But not everything is so simple. After all, local time is indicated - in Moscow and Male, the capital of the Maldives. And these cities lie in different time zones. And this must be taken into account when guessing by the ticket how much to fly to the Maldives from Moscow. Residents of the island republic do not translate the clock depending on the seasons. But the Russians last year again returned to winter time. Only now they live on it all the time, and therefore the difference does not depend on the season. Both in winter and in summer, the time in the Maldives is ahead of Moscow by as much as two hours. And this circumstance must be taken into account when you calculate on the ticket how much you have to spend onboard. Add to this indicator another hour and a half to go through all the formalities at the airport.
How long to fly to the Maldives from Moscow
If we focus on the issue of "pure" travel time, without reference to time zones? How many hours will we have to endure in a narrow airplane seat? Unfortunately, there is no definite answer to the question of how much to fly to the Maldives from Moscow. It all depends on a lot of factors. And above all, from the route of the aircraft. Non-stop direct flights operate from Moscow from Sheremetyevo (Aeroflot, Wednesdays and Saturdays) and from Domodedovo (Transaero Airlines, Tuesdays and Thursdays). Both carriers promise to deliver passengers to their destination in eight and a half hours. New long-haul liners - Airbuses A-330-300 - are being served for landing. Their powerful engines develop a significant speed - eight hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.
What affects flight times?
But this is not the final answer to our question. In calculating the time spent on board the liner, the so-called air corridor should be taken into account. A day flight can be longer than a night flight precisely because of its busyness, when ground controllers order the pilot to deviate a little from the direct course. Considerable adjustments are made to the flight and winds. A passing one can give the plane additional speed, and an oncoming one can slow it down. And it often happens that on the Moscow-Maldives flight, the flight timeis eight and a half hours, and the return journey takes fifty to seventy minutes more. So the landing hour indicated in the flight may remain a “good wish.”
Moscow - Maldives: connecting flight time
Of course, if you do not get to Male airport by direct flight, then you need to be prepared for the fact that you will arrive at your destination a few hours later. But, in principle, this option is also worth considering. The first and important reason to fly to the archipelago with a transfer is the price. Plane tickets to the Maldives for a direct flight are much more expensive than for a transit one. In addition, you can stretch your legs at the airports of other countries, look into the local duty free shops. Among the popular carriers, we can recommend Qatar Airways, Emirates and Australian Airlines. All of them start from Domodedovo. The transfer will need to be made in Doha, Dubai or the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, respectively. Travel time varies depending on how many hours you spend at the transit airport. It can be either thirteen and a half hours or almost a day.
Travel by charters
In the high season (winter), tours to the Maldives from Moscow are carried out by planes, which are specially hired by excursion companies for this purpose. Charters usually use not very powerful cars that require refueling. So they land (usually in Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates). For the New Year and May holidays, the Russian air carrier Atlant-Soyuz organizes from Vnukovoseveral flights to the Maldives.
