The first phase of redeveloping Velana Airport’s former runway, Taxiway Charlie, Taxiway Charlie, has been completed and handed over to Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).
The project was awarded to Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG), a Chinese company that has carried out some of the largest development projects at Velana International Airport.
The project was awarded to the company on October 15 last year. The actual work on the project began on April 10 this year. While the first phase of this four-phase project has been completed and handed over, MACL said the work was finished 84 days ahead of schedule.
To mark the completion of the first phase of this project, a ceremony was held at Hulhule Island Hotel where MACL handed over the completion document to BUCG. The ceremony was attended by senior officials from MACL, BUCG, and the Civil Aviation Authority. MACL’s Deputy Managing Director Mujtaba Jaleel handed over the document to BUCG’s Project Director Kang Guang Bo.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairperson Aishath Noorul Ain Janah said that once the Taxiway Charlie development project is completed, it will provide convenience to all airlines operating at Velana International Airport. Noorul Ain acknowledged BUCG as an important and trusted partner in the development of Velana International Airport an Velana International Airport and thanked the company for this.
The former runway at Velana Airport was completely discontinued in 2022 when the new Code-F runway came into use. Since then, the old runway has been used as a taxiway. This 3200-meter runway was developed in 1976. Although various repairs have been made since then, the condition of the runway has deteriorated.
Once the work on the runway, now used as Taxiway-Charlie, is completely finished, it is expected to reduce the average turnaround time for commercial airlines landing at Velana International Airport by 20 minutes.
