Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) revealed that the new seaplane terminal will be inaugurated in May 2020.
MACL Acting Manager Moosa Solih further revealed that the management of the terminal would gradually be transferred to MACL over a period of three years, as they build on their capacity to be able to take over its management.
Until the handover of management, the terminal will continue to be privately operated by seaplane operators, with plots leased out separately to each operator. Currently there are 3 seaplane operators: Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA), Island Aviation, and Manta Air. MACL currently charges USD 9 per square foot for the leased plots.
The acting manager asserted that although the handover would take time, management of the terminal by MACL would immensely benefit the company.
Solih stated that the new terminal would be equipped with state-of-the-art technology. He detailed that the jetty was constructed with resilient material with a 50-year guarantee and that the area would facilitate convenient use of fuel, water and electricity for aircraft.
Highlighting that 100 aircraft could simultaneously be served at the lagoon area designated for landings, the MACL official stated that they would begin by serving only 55 vessels at a time.
The development of the terminal, spanning 7000 square meters, is of high-priority and part of the broader plans to develop Velana international airport (VIA). A scheduled runway project will commence once the old sea plane terminal is vacated and cleared. It will take about five months to transfer all services provided at the old terminal to the new facility.
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