Maldives on Tuesday officially celebrated the completion of the Maafaru International Airport upgrade project with the arrival of inaugural wide-body aircraft.
National airline, Maldivian’s newly acquired wide-body aircraft received a water salute upon landing at the airport.
The ceremony to celebrate the opening of the airport was attended by the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed, the Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib, the UAE Ambassador to Maldives Sheikh Rahma bin Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi and Island Aviation Services Limited (IAS) Managing Director Ibrahim Iyas.
The two pronged Maafaru International Airport project was funded by the United Arab Emirates through the ADFD.
Under the first phase, a 2,200-metre runway, passenger terminal building and VIP lounge have been developed along with a fire and rescue station, control tower and passenger jetty.. Construction of the Maafaru Airport started on 23 January 2018. The first phase of the airport was completed and commercial flight operations began on 1 December 2019.
The second phase of the project saw the runway extended by 650 meters to accommodate Boeing 777-ER300 aircrafts. In addition, shore protection and upgrading of the runway lights were carried out under phase two.
The entire airport project, including the second phase, was completed in December last year. The Abu Dhabi Fund has provided more than USD 76 million for the two phases of the project.
Maafaru International Airport is operated by IAS, which has plans to expand the passenger terminal services, establish a seaplane hub, increase fuel farm capacity and launch direct passenger flight operations.
Noonu Atoll, where the airport is located, boasts the highest number of high-end resorts in the Maldives. There are as many as eight resorts and 14 guest houses currently in operation in the Atoll.
The development of Maafaru International Airport is tipped to strengthen Maldives’ tourism sector and create new economic opportunities for its people.