A Brief Guide To The World’s Largest Seaplane Operator

There are approximately 40 commercial seaplane operators in the world today, the vast majority of them traveling the windswept skies and frigid waterways of Canada and the northern United States. Yet the world’s largest commercial seaplane operator is quite literally half a world away, buzzing between tropical atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

With a fleet of 67 de Havilland Twin Otters, Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) not only has the largest seaplane operation in the world, but flies more passengers to more locations via seaplane than any other airline. From its start as a small air taxi service, it has become a major driver of tourism growth in the Maldives.

A bit of background

The Maldives is a chain of 26 Indian Ocean atolls just south of the Indian subcontinent, and is made up of about 1,190 islands. Malé is the capital and home to Velana International Airport (VIA), the base of flag carrier Maldivian, and a coveted destination for many global airlines such as Emirates, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Qatar and Turkish Airlines.

The Maldives really began to emerge as a global resort destination in the 1980s. For most visitors back then this meant staying in Malé itself, or at a resort just a short boat ride away. But as ever more resorts were developed, the need emerged for faster and more efficient travel options to the far-flung islands. And preferably something that didn’t include a nasty bout of sea-sickness on arrival and departure.

From humble beginnings

TMA was founded in 1989 as Hummingbird Island Airways to provide alternative transportation options to the resorts. Starting with helicopters, it had moved to a more efficient, all-seaplane fleet of Twin Otters by the end of the 1990s. At around the same time, Maldivian Air Taxi (MAT) was established as a rival service, also employing a fleet of seaplanes that grew to a total of 20 Twin Otters.

Both companies were building strong businesses, but were to benefit considerably from international investment. In 2013, the Blackstone Group, an American equity fund, purchased both airlines and merged them. The new entity retained the Trans Maldivian Airways name and the flying colors of MAT, and today the scarlet tails of TMA seaplanes are as ubiquitous to the Maldives as yellow cabs are to New York.

Photo: TMA

The largest seaplane fleet in the world

At the time of the merger, the combined TMA was operating 44 Twin Otters. These were all Series 100-300 aircraft, which were manufactured by de Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988. While these were certainly getting long-in-the-tooth, the rugged nature of the aircraft and its relatively simple maintenance has meant that it’s not uncommon to find 50-year Twin Otters flying today.

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However, as tourism was expanding rapidly, so was the demand for TMA’s services. To cater for this, TMA consistently added more aircraft to its fleet, notably purchasing a number of the all-new Viking Series 400 Twin Otter. Major changes introduced with the Series 400 include Honeywell fully integrated avionics, all-glass cockpits, modernization of the electrical and lighting systems, and the use of composites in the airframe. Today, TMA flies a total of 67 Twin Otter seaplanes, making it by far the single largest commercial seaplane operator.

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With that many aircraft, TMA is able to carry out an average of over 300 scheduled flights a day. Add it up, and you’re looking at over a million passengers on over 100,000 flights each year to more than 80 resorts across 14 different atolls. To accomplish this, TMA employs more than 200 pilots that have joined the airline from all over the world, drawn to a life in the sun and flying from one island paradise to another.

The pilots are notable for their island style. While they wear a conventional uniform from the waist up, this is accompanied by shorts and sandals. Captain Andrew Farr, one of TMA’s most experienced pilots, explains that footwear is optional once in the air:

“We call ourselves the ‘barefoot pilots’, because when we’re in the airplane we actually kick our sandals off and fly barefoot on the pedals. It gives you a really nice feeling for the aircraft.”

The ebb and flow of operations

Farr is originally from Canada but has been with the airline over 10 years, and it’s that sort of experience that is required for the challenge of seaplane operations. TMA’s operations are very different from those of a regular commercial airline in a number of ways:

• A range of services: While the bulk of its business is from resort transfers, TMA also offers photo flights for that authentic seaplane experience, more extensive private charters, unique excursions, as well as the flights that everyone hopes they will never need – passenger evacuations.
• Unpredictable schedules: TMA’s schedule changes by the hour, depending on the needs of the resorts, and how many passengers are arriving or departing.
• VFR-only: All of TMA’s operate under visual flight rules, so pilots typically have very early starts, and are often squeezing in 10–12 sectors between sunrise and sunset.
• Weather changes: Flying in the tropics means that the weather can change rapidly from clear days to thunderstorms and back again, and pilots and the airline managers need to be able to adjust nimbly to these conditions.

Photo: TMA

As Farr explains, while his ‘office’ might have the best views in the world, he and his colleagues have to be constantly alert:

“It’s a lot more fun than regular airline flying, but also more challenging because our ‘runway’ is always changing. During our southwest monsoon, we can get high winds and the waves can get four or five feet high sometimes with large swells. Other times it’s a completely glassy day and everybody thinks that that’s the easiest way to land. But it isn’t, because it reflects the sky. You have to be very, very careful when you’re landing in glassy water conditions.”

Exciting times ahead

Such has been the growth in seaplane operations that TMA recently moved into a new, $55 million seaplane facility immediately adjacent to Velana International Airport in Malé. Billed as the largest seaplane terminal in the world, the 28,000 square meter Noovilu Seaplane Terminal was inaugurated in 2022 and has 42 lounges (40 of which are leased to resorts) and a 8,800 square meter MRO facility.

Photo: TMA

As the largest operator at Noovilu, TMA’s VIP Coral lounge occupies the 2nd floor of the building. Aside from the usual lounge facilities that you would expect to find, it is also a planespotter’s paradise. Large picture windows and sweeping balconies offer views across the bustling seaplane port and the water runways beyond, and to the others, views to the long-haul arrivals and departures on the main runway at VIA.

The future looks very bright for TMA. The Maldives expects to welcome over 2 million international visitors in 2024, with especially strong growth in visitors from Asia, and a new terminal is about to open at VIA which will significantly enhance airport capacity. Most of those arriving will travel on to some 150 resort islands across the country, providing TMA with a steady throng of happy holidaymakers and honeymooners, eager to board its scarlet-tailed seaplanes for a flight to paradise.

Have you ever been to the Maldives? Or maybe you have flown aboard a seaplane in another part of the world? Tell us about your thoughts and experiences in the comments.