Insights

The scope, liability tiers, limits, jurisdiction and insurance rules of the Montreal Convention 1999 as they apply to international flights to the Maldives, and the gap left for domestic carriage.

What the Beijing Convention 2010, the Beijing Protocol 2010 and the Montreal Protocol 2014 add to the aviation security regime, and why accession matters for the Maldives.

A bomb hoax at Velana International Airport shows how Annex 17, the aviation security conventions, the Civil Aviation Regulations and the Penal Code fit together, and where the gaps lie.

How the public and private branches of international air law are governed, regulated and applied in the Maldives, from the Chicago Convention and the MCAR to the carrier liability and rights-in-aircraft conventions.

The Rome Convention 1952 as it applies in the Maldives: scope, strict liability, outdated limits, jurisdiction and enforcement, and the position for domestic and seaplane operations that fall outside it.

How a foreign national may hold a long-term strata lease of a resort villa, whether the investment supports a corporate resident visa, and how far the tax treaties of the Maldives are relevant to the holding structure.

The Ministry of Tourism procedures that apply when a strata lessee mortgages or transfers a villa leasehold interest, and when a developer sells villas before or during construction.

How a resort lease is granted under the Maldives Tourism Act, the lease term and rent, what the lease agreement must contain, and how leasehold rights may be mortgaged, transferred and terminated.

How a strata lease over a resort villa is created under Regulation No: 2023/R-154, who may grant one, how the villa and the purchaser's interest are registered, and what the purchaser actually acquires.

An overview of the Maldives’ first comprehensive trademark registration regime under the Trademark Act 2025.

An overview of the documentation required to demonstrate financial capacity and capital mobilisation under the Maldives Foreign Investment Act.

The Maldivian Constitution provides that any international treaty to which the Maldives becomes a party will be enforced only upon approval by Parliament and in accordance with any conditions of such approval.

The Maldives should ratify the Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Equipment Protocol to enhance the certainty of aircraft financing and improve the Maldivian aviation sector.

The Maldives should establish an independent accident investigation authority with legally enforceable investigative powers to comply with international obligations.

This article provides answers to frequently asked questions about aircraft lease and registration in the Maldives.