Australians will soon be able to fly direct to the Maldives for the first time via a regular scheduled service, with Luxury Escapes announcing a new non stop Melbourne to Malé seasonal route operated by Maldivian, the national airline of the Maldives.
The weekly return charter, exclusive to Luxury Escapes customers, is scheduled to begin on Monday 18 May 2026, subject to government and regulatory approvals.
At around eleven hours to Malé and just over ten hours on the return leg, the direct service is expected to significantly cut travel time for Australians heading to the Indian Ocean destination. Currently, most flights from Australia to the Maldives require a stopover in hubs such as Singapore, Doha, Colombo or Dubai, often pushing total journey times beyond 20 hours.
Luxury Escapes says the new schedule has been designed to maximise time on the ground, with a carefully timed evening departure from Melbourne each Monday, arriving in Malé early Tuesday morning. The arrival time is intended to align with seaplane or speedboat connections to outer island resorts, with some resort partners offering complimentary early check in for Luxury Escapes travellers. Return flights will depart Malé on Sunday evening and arrive back in Melbourne on Monday lunchtime.
Luxury Escapes Co Founder and CEO Adam Schwab said the move followed strong demand from customers for a direct option to the Maldives.
“According to our booking data, hotel reservations are up 17% with an average length of stay between five to six nights, so we tailored our flight schedule to allow almost seven days on the ground,” he said.
Schwab said the direct service would help travellers avoid long transit times and overnight stopovers, while Luxury Escapes also plans to pair the flights with resort offers and inclusions.
“We’re doing it the Luxury Escapes way, world class holidays at unbeatable value, with all the inclusions. Our launch offer is truly epic, starting from $2,599 per person all inclusive for five nights, in a five star resort with loads of inclusions from daily breakfast and nightly dinner to speedboat transfers and water sports fun,” he said.
Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer Lorie Argus said the new flights would make Melbourne the only airport in Australia with a direct link to the Maldives.
“It’s always exciting to welcome a new airline to Melbourne, but even more so when they fly to such a sought after destination,” she said.
Argus said the convenience of non stop flights was expected to appeal strongly to travellers and noted the service would also suit passengers connecting from across the east coast and Tasmania due to Melbourne Airport’s single terminal precinct and easier domestic to international transfers.
Maldivian Managing Director Ibrahim Iyas said Australia remained one of the Maldives’ most important long haul tourism markets and pointed to the value of Australian visitors for longer length stays.
“This service represents an important milestone, supporting continued growth across the sector while reinforcing Maldivian’s role as the national airline and often the first point of contact for visitors, delivering the warmth and hospitality the Maldives is widely known for,” he said.
The flights will be operated by Maldivian’s widebody A330 200 aircraft, configured with Business and Economy cabins. The aircraft features 18 fully lie flat seats in Business and 246 Economy seats in a 2 4 2 layout. Luxury Escapes also says guests will be able to reserve a full row of four Economy seats, dubbed ‘cuddle class’.
Services are expected to operate for around six months initially, following approvals from Australian regulators, with the air traffic control callsign ‘Skysurfer’. Luxury Escapes says it will consider extending the service for a second seasonal period or moving to a permanent option depending on demand.
Launch packages start from $2,599 per person and include return Economy flights and five nights accommodation across a range of five star resorts, with inclusions. Business class upgrades are also available.
Packages are on sale now through Luxury Escapes online, in store at its Melbourne Chadstone location and its new Sydney Bondi store, via Luxury Escapes travel agents on 1300 889 900 and through Travel Hub for registered travel agents.
