Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has stated the new runway at Velana International Airport (VIA) will be operational in September.
MACL has begun the interim use of the new runway as a parallel taxiway to gain operational efficiency and increase the number of accommodations at VIA from 8 to 16 aircraft.
Speaking to PSM News, the Deputy Chief Officer and acting in charge of MACL Ibrahim Thoha said international standards require the runway to be established around a cleared area. Therefore, he said MACL will begin preparations to officially open the runway after the nearby seaplane terminal is relocated in March.
The new runway is 3,400m long and 65m wide and can accommodate wide-bodied passenger aircraft. The runway was developed by China based-Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) at a cost of USD400 million.
The project was funded by a loan provided by China-based Axis Bank Limited. The runway was developed to accommodate the largest commercial airplanes currently in use and the test flights were conducted in 2018.