Trans Maldivian Airways runs the propellor plane network of transfers between the various islands of the Republic of the Maldives. The experience of flying over the coral atolls of the maldives is a special one and likely one that you will not quickly forget. Our return trip from The W Maldives back to Male Noovilu Sea Plane terminal afforded us similar views along with a great adventure travel experience.

---

This post is one chapter on my trip to the Republic of the Maldives. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.

---

---

Review: Trans Maldivian Airways De Havilland Twin Otter, Malé Noovilu Sea Plane Terminal – St Regis Vommuli

---

Earlier in the trip, we enjoyed a five day stay at The W Maldives. For the second part of our trip, it was time to head onto the St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort. Our travels to the St Regis Maldives was our most anticipated luxury travel experience for this particular trip.

Checking into Trans Maldivian Airways:

We arrived into the Malé Noovilu Sea Plane Terminal on a Trans Maldivian Airways flight from the W Maldives. I wasn’t given any instructions on where we would meet our representative from the St Regis Maldives.

After arriving on our inbound sea plane flight, we met our St Regis Maldives Vommuli representative in the arrivals area of the Malé Noovilu Sea Plane terminal. We were walked over to the Trans Maldivian Airways check in area within the Noovilu Sea Plane Terminal and checked in.

Our checked and cabin bags were weighed. Unlike our experience checking into the W Maldives, we had no overage charges.

After completing the check in process, we were led upstairs to the St Regis Maldives Vommuli lounge, which was located on the top floor of the Noovilu Sea Plane Terminal building. Since this was an event in itself, I’ve elected to cover the St Regis Maldives Malé Lounge in a separate post.

We’d enjoy a comfortable experience in the St Regis Lounge prior to our departing flight to the resort.

Boarding Trans Maldivian Airways:

When it came time to depart, we were led down to the sea plane pontoons. There were two other couples travelling with us in the lounge, but we did end up with a full plane headed to Vommuli. We were joined by a large group of about six Asian travellers boarding the sea plane flight with us.

It’s always a bit of a scramble to get onto the sea planes since everyone usually wants the best seats. I usually try to hang out on the below walkway towards the railing so I don’t get left behind or stuck in last place.

The seating configuration on the Trans Maldivian Airlines Twin Otter is in a 1 – 2 configuration. I ended up seated on the right hand side of the plane in the second row.

In hindsight, the best views on this route are on the left hand side of the aircraft. As a result, if you want the best pictures of Maldivian coral atolls on this particular route, I recommend you sit on the left hand side when headed down to Vommuli.

Trans Maldivian Airways
Malé – Vommuli (Malé Noovilu Sea Plane Terminal – St Regis Maldives Vommuli)
TMA Flight 231
Flown: March 14, 2023
Departure: 11:30 AM
Arrival: 12:15 PM
Booked: DeHavilland Twin Otter
Flown: DeHavilland Twin Otter

Flying a Sea Plane over the Maldives:

We had a forty five minute flight down to Vommuli from Malé. Departing from the Malé Noovilu Sea Plane terminal, we were airborne within minutes.

We headed off on a South Westernly track towards Vommuli and were immediately treated to some views of beautiful Maldivian Atolls.

It wasn’t long before we were treated to views of some luxury resorts. The lower elevation of the sea planes allowed for great photographs and views from the wing.

We also saw some of the industrial areas outside of the capital city of Malé, using mostly reclaimed land. We also flew over islands that blended urban islands among the exotic islands in the Republic of the Maldives.

After we got out of the urban islands surrounding Malé, it was nothing but the beautiful blue atolls slipping by under the aircraft.

We had a wonderfully sunny day, with a lot of contrasting blues, greens and dark browns among the corals. The colours of the atolls were among the most vibrant I’ve had the opportunity to see, and that includes past flying on the United Island Hopper through some of the most remote Pacific Atolls in the Pacific Ocean.

We eventually started a descent into Vommuli. We had a circle around the island, landing at the arrival jetty.

We disembarked our short Trans Maldivian Airways flight and enjoyed a great six day stay at the St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort.

My Thoughts on Trans Maldivian Airways:

Our journey on Trans Maldivian Airways from Malé to Vommuli marked a much more scenic and picturesque flight when compared to our flight from Malé to the W Maldives.

We were treated to at the viewing of a number of compelling atolls and scenic blue skies. Make sure you sit on the left hand side of the aircraft on your way down for the very best views.

---

If you’ve flown Trans Maldivian Airways, did you enjoy the experience of atoll spotting on your journey ?

---