Yes, you can smoke at Velana International Airport (MLE) — airside, in the smoking lounge on the first floor of international departures near the duty-free shops, and landside at designated outdoor smoking areas by the main exit and on the domestic side of the airport.
Velana International is the Maldives’ gateway on Hulhulé island, handling around 7 million passengers a year — almost all of them resort holidaymakers connecting onward by seaplane or speedboat. Transfer waits here can run several hours, so it helps to know exactly where the smoking areas are on both sides of security.
International Departures (After Security)
Once you clear security and immigration in international departures, travellers report a smoking lounge on the first floor of the departure area, near the duty-free shops. It is the one place to smoke airside, so find it before you settle in at the gate. Smoking anywhere else inside the terminal is prohibited under the Maldives’ Tobacco Control Act, and the rule is enforced.
The premium departure lounges follow the same rule — the main lounge floors are smoke-free, and lounge staff will point smokers to the designated smoking facility.
The New Terminal 1
Velana’s new international Terminal 1 opened in phases from July 2025, with airlines migrating across through late 2025. Facility locations are still settling as operations bed in, so the exact position of the airside smoking facility can shift. Follow the terminal signage or ask the information desk for the current spot — allow a few extra minutes on a tight connection.
Landside and Outdoor Smoking Areas
Before check-in, or after you land and collect your bags, use the designated outdoor smoking areas landside — by the main terminal exit and around the arrivals side. The airport sits on its own small island with an open-air, tropical layout, so stepping outside is quick and the outdoor areas are easy to reach on foot from the arrivals kerb, the ferry jetty and the transfer counters.
Domestic Terminal and Seaplane Transfers
Connecting to a resort by domestic flight or seaplane? There is a designated smoking area on the domestic side of the airport, and the outdoor landside areas serve the seaplane terminal side as well. Smoke before you check in for the transfer — smoking is not permitted on the seaplanes, domestic aircraft or transfer boats, and some resort waits between legs are lounge-bound with no smoking access until you arrive.
Vaping
Do not bring a vape to the Maldives. The country banned the import, sale, possession and use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices nationwide in late 2024, and devices can be confiscated from arriving passengers at MLE. The ban applies to tourists as well as residents, everywhere in the country — not just at the airport. Cigarette smokers can use the designated smoking areas; vapers should leave all equipment at home.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| International departures (airside) | Yes | Smoking lounge on the first floor near duty-free |
| Inside terminal (general) | No | Smoke-free outside the designated facility |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated areas by the main exit and arrivals side |
| Domestic / seaplane side | Yes | Designated smoking area on the domestic side |
| Vaping | No | Vapes banned nationwide since late 2024 — confiscated on arrival |
For the Maldives’ airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Maldives airport guide.