The temporary closure of Fuvahmulah airport has left passengers stranded in the southern island.

Adhadhu understands that the airport operation was suspended on Monday evening, with flights cancelled this morning as well.

"Our team is actively reaching out to impacted passengers and will be providing all necessary assistance during this time," the national airline Maldivian said.

One passenger told Adhadhu that he was informed about a five-hour delay for his flight on Monday evening. But all the flights were cancelled later.

Some have said the airport closure is due to an issue with a fire truck while other said it is because of an oil spill on the runway.

The passenger complained that the Maldivian Fuvahmulah hotline was not responding and said passengers were not getting any assistance.

Some passengers have requested Maldivian to arrange for them to travel to Addu by sea and fly to Male from the Gan airport.

But the airline has told passengers to make arrangements at their own expense to travel to Addu by sea and that flight seats will be booked based on availability.

There are some passengers who have missed their flight to India from Velana International Airport (VIA) on Tuesday morning because of the airport closure.

Fuvahmulah is also a popular destination for local tourism, with both local and international visitors regularly flying to the island.