Qasim Ibrahim, Chairman of Villa Group which operates Kaadedhdhoo Airport and Member of Parliament for Maamigili constituency, has stated that work is ongoing to, has stated that work is ongoing to extend the airport’s runway, renovate it, and make it an international airport. Officials from Villa Group were summoned to the Economic Committee of the People’s Majlis today to question about concerns that the standard of Kaadedhdhoo Airport is deteriorating day by day.
Speaking at the committee, Qasim said that Villa Group is carrying out the work on the airport under an agreement signed with the Ministry of Transport. He stated that the government is spending significant amounts on operating airports in the Maldives. However, he said that except for Velana International Airport, other airports are incurring substantial losses.
He mentioned that Kaadedhdhoo Airport is also being operated at a significant loss. Qasim said the reality is that the profit from the airport is very small. He stated that half of what is earned remains pending, and due to not receiving this, they have to spend about a million rufiyaa every month.
“We are proceeding with very good relations with the Transport Ministry and Housing Ministry. The Transport Minister also calls and talks. The President also said to work on converting that airport to an international airport. We are working on that, but considering the company’s situation, changes in the global market, and credit ratio, there are significant difficulties in financing such a large project. That’s why this work is delayed,” Qasim said.
Qasim said that Villa Group’s plan includes work to make the airport international. However, he also said that if the government wants to do it differently, they are ready to hand over the airport in a way that doesn’t cause loss to the company.
“I believe that place always needs to be developed. Economically speaking, a place should be developed by looking at ways to make things sustainable with what it earns. We are in the mindset of developing Kaadedhdhoo Airport, renovating it and doing everything else that needs to be done. At the very least, to make the runway 2400 meters or 2.8 meters long, even by reclamation. That’s our thinking,” Qasim said.
However, Qasim questioned how they would do it if the government frequently seizes the airport from Villa company and harasses them. He said that’s why it couldn’t be done before, and previously when investors came and finalized everything, the government took the airport from the company. He also said that the military came and removed Villa’s employees from there. He mentioned that there’s still an opportunity to file a lawsuit for that. However, leaving that aside, Villa wanted to work on developing the airport again when the government handed it back to them, he said.
