President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has been continuously working to resolve the congestion issue at Velana International Airport (VIA) and to expedite the completion of the new terminal project. He calls almost daily to inquire about and resolve any difficulties, according to Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, Managing Director and CEO of Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).
During an event with journalists at VIA’s seaplane terminal last night, Shareef said that the current international airport can serve only 2,000 to 3,000 passengers per day. However, on the peak day last year, they had to receive 23,000 passengers, Shareef stated.
“That means 11,500 in, 11,500 out. Now imagine the snake queues, congestion, and the struggle to get taxis here. Because of this situation, to resolve this issue, I’m not exaggerating if I say, at least once a day, the President calls me to check on the terminal matters,” Shareef said. According to Shareef, President Dr. Muizzu is looking into ways to expedite the terminal project and the resources needed.
“When we took over this place, 54% was ready. The terminal has been under construction for about nine and a half years. So, the President told me that tourism contributes the most to the country’s economy. Therefore, to help the tourism industry and to boost the country’s economy, the new terminal at Velana Airport is a must,” Shareef said.
“I have no other option but to do this. When I mention how to proceed and the difficulties, if it’s finance, he arranges it, if it’s resources, he provides it,” Shareef expressed special gratitude for the guidance and assistance provided by President Dr. Muizzu in completing the new terminal.
As preparations are underway to open VIA’s new terminal on July 26, the 60th anniversary of Maldives’ independence, President Dr. Muizzu also wants the national airline, Maldivian, to be the first to use the new terminal. Shareef said that other airlines will be moved to the terminal about two weeks later.
The new terminal, which can serve 7.5 million people annually, has 48 check-in counters. There are 20 immigration counters dedicated to departing passengers and 28 counters for arriving passengers. Six customs belts have been installed at the airport. The ground floor of the new terminal is dedicated to check-in counters for departing passengers.
After entering the new terminal, one must first go to a designated airline’s check-in counter. Currently, at the international airport, there are Aviation Security Command checkpoints as you enter the terminal. However, with the new terminal, you will reach the Aviation Security Command checkpoints after checking in. Therefore, there will be only one check at the airport.
The first floor of the new terminal is dedicated to departing passengers. There will be many gates for departing passengers to use on the first floor. That area will also have duty-free shops, food and beverage outlets, and lounges. The second floor of the terminal is dedicated to arriving passengers. After completing the immigration process, they will be able to access the luggage belt area.
According to Shareef, when the terminal fully opens on July 26, all areas including arrivals and departures will be opened. After the new terminal opens, the first aircraft to land at Velana Airport will also be a Maldivian aircraft, Shareef said. The new terminal project was awarded to Saudi Arabia’s Bin Laden Group. When the project was first awarded to the Bin Laden Group, many things not included in the scope were added. One was the construction of roads connecting to the new terminal. The second was that commercial areas such as duty-free shops, cafes, and restaurants were not assigned for construction. MACL has now contracted these tasks to other parties.
Shareef said that when the new terminal opens, although duty-free shops and lounges will be available, the commercial area will be fully completed and operational by September. To complete the new terminal work, $100 million (1.5 billion rufiyaa) from the Saudi Fund and $80 million (1.2 billion rufiyaa) from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) have been secured. The Saudi company is carrying out the airport work through China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC). When the terminal project is completed, it is expected to cost about nine billion rufiyaa.
