| Hulhule ހުޅުލެ |
|
|---|---|
| — District of Male' — | |
Male' International Airport, Hulhule |
|
| Status | Official |
| Geography | |
| Geographic Atoll | North Malé Atoll |
| Density (per/Ha) | n/a |
| Administrative | |
| Country | Maldives |
| Demographics | |
| Population | n/a |
| Other Information | |
| Site of Malé International Airport. Considered a ward of Malé. | |
Hulhulé (ހުޅުލެ), located at Latitude 4° 10' 60 N Longitude 73° 31' 60 E, is an island in the North Malé Atoll of the Maldives.[1] It is one of the islands closest to the capital island Malé. The Malé International Airport is located on this island along with some official premises, e.g. Maldivian Bureau of Meteorology. The airport is served internationally by a variety of holiday charter flights (mostly from Europe) and several scheduled carriers including Emirates, Qatar Air, Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines and Air Sri Lanka. In addition to serving as an international and domestic airport, Hulhule is also home to the sea-plane terminal operated by both Maldivian Air Taxi and Trans Maldivian Airways. The island also serves as a hub for travellers wishing to connect to a domestic flight to the further outlaying atolls, e.g. Laamu.
Before the airport was built it used to be the home of the aboriginal Giraavaru people. In 1968 they were forced to abandon their ancestral home on Giraavaru island under an Islamic regulation that did not recognise communities with fewer than 40 adult males who could form a quorum at the Friday prayers. The Giraavaru people were ferried across the atoll lagoon to Hulhule Island. When the airport there was extended they were shifted across to Malé and housed in a few blocks in newly reclaimed areas in the Maafannu district.
One hotel, the Hulhule Island Hotel, is located on the island. This hotel is more for transit passengers over-nighting as opposed to a true resort hotel.