News Desk
The walk from the arrivals hall at Velana International Airport begins with a small but telling scene. A lone police officer stands, guiding travellers across a narrow two lane road. Beyond him, the jetty area unfolds in a swirl of movement. Tourists cluster with luggage, resort staff weave through the crowd, and luxury travellers wait for their yachts. The setting should be a polished welcome to one of the world’s most coveted destinations. Instead, it exposes a disorder that has become routine.
It is also a scene that the country’s elite will never witness. They are offloaded directly at the VIP terminal, ushered into private cars with flashing lights and sirens, moved with a swiftness that reflects their status. The confusion of the public jetty, the heat, the queues and the absence of order belong to another world entirely.
The jetty is the first touchpoint for thousands of visitors who arrive expecting the seamless hospitality that the Maldives has spent half a century marketing. What they encounter is confusion.
Lines dissolve, boats jostle for space, and the absence of visible coordination leaves both tourists and staff improvising their way through the crowd. A short walk toward the taxi queue reveals a similar pattern. One airport staff member may be present, but the system around them appears to run on habit rather than design.
For many in the industry, this moment at the airport tells a larger story. The Maldives has mastered the art of selling luxury, yet the country’s main gateway still struggles to deliver the basic service culture that luxury demands.
This shift did not unfold over decades. It happened recently, as MACL began taking on projects that sit far outside the responsibilities of an airport operator. The company that should be focused on passenger movement and service standards has instead been building classrooms, gyms and island infrastructure. It has taken on land reclamation and construction work that have little connection to aviation. These activities may generate political visibility, but they pull attention and resources away from the core business of running the country’s most important gateway.
Industry observers say this mission creep has consequences. When an airport operator begins to function like a general contractor, attention shifts from service delivery to project execution. The culture becomes one of construction rather than hospitality. The result is an organisation that excels at pouring concrete but struggles to manage a queue.
The question of leadership sits at the centre of this tension. A CEO of a national gateway is expected to shape service standards, protect the country’s image and ensure that every passenger’s first and last impression reflects the Maldives at its best. Yet many in the sector quietly ask whether the company’s leadership is focused elsewhere. Expansion projects dominate public announcements. New airports, new buildings and new contracts receive attention. The day to day experience of travellers receives far less.
Customer service experts point out that airports are not judged by their architecture. They are judged by the ease of movement, the clarity of signage, the presence of trained staff and the sense of order that greets passengers at every turn. These are not cosmetic details. They are the foundation of a country’s reputation. When they fail, the failure is visible to every visitor.
The Maldives has invested billions in luxury tourism. Resorts compete globally on service excellence. Yet the airport that feeds this industry still operates with the habits of an organisation that has not fully embraced the service culture it promotes abroad.
The disconnect is stark. It raises a simple question that many in the tourism sector now voice openly. If the Maldives can deliver world class hospitality on remote islands, why can it not deliver basic service at its own front door?
Until MACL aligns its mission with the expectations of a global tourism hub, the jetty will remain chaotic, the taxi queue will remain unmanaged and the country’s first impression will remain at odds with the paradise it promises.
Inside the country, the contrast is striking. At Dhiraagu’s ground floor service centre, several staff members stand ready to guide customers. At the renovated Hulhumalé Hospital, employees are stationed at the entrance to direct patients. At the BML Card Centre in Gaakoshi, staff manage queues and assist visitors before they even reach the counters. These institutions have embraced a simple principle of customer service: visible presence improves efficiency, reduces confusion and builds trust.
At the airport, that principle remains elusive. Maldives Airports Company Limited, which operates Velana International Airport, has long been known for its focus on operations rather than service. The result is an environment where public movement feels improvised and where systems appear to depend on individual effort rather than institutional planning.
Complaints about the taxi queue surface regularly in local media. The inability to manage something as straightforward as a line becomes a symbol of a deeper issue. It reflects how the company views its customers and how little priority is placed on the experience of those passing through its gates.
Industry professionals echo these concerns. One senior figure noted that the jetty, used daily by high value yachts, speedboats and diving vessels, should have designated supervisors ensuring safety and order. “Even a minor lapse could lead to damage or, in the worst case, pose a risk to tourists,” he said.
Another pointed out that the airport does manage one area effectively. In the departure hall, resort representatives escort guests to check in counters under the watchful eye of managers and supervisors who ensure that staff do not handle luggage beyond permitted points. The oversight is visible and consistent. It raises the question of why similar discipline is not applied to the jetty or the taxi queue.
A veteran in the infrastructure sector offered a blunt assessment. “We rush to develop when there is a chance to benefit from a kickback,” he said. “We ignore maintenance when there is no undue benefit.” The comment reflects a sentiment often heard in private conversations about public infrastructure in the Maldives. Projects are celebrated at launch, but long term management rarely receives the same attention.
The stakes are not small. Velana International Airport handled more than 22,000 passengers in a single day, one of the busiest in its history. The volume will only grow as new terminals open and more resorts come online. With that growth comes a responsibility to match the country’s luxury image with service standards that meet global expectations.
For now, the first impression remains a missed opportunity. The Maldives has built an industry on the promise of calm, beauty and effortless hospitality. At its front door, the experience is anything but. The question is whether MACL will choose to treat service as seriously as it treats expansion. The answer will shape how the world sees the Maldives long before travellers reach the turquoise lagoons that brought them here.
