A new Cargo Terminal has been opened today at Velana International Airport with the capacity to handle 120,000 tonnes of goods annually.
The terminal was inaugurated by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu at a ceremony held this afternoon.
Construction of this terminal falls under the airport development project which was commenced in 2018. Plans to build this terminal was initiated to address the constraints of space faced due to the steady increase in amounts of cargo that needed to be handled.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), which provides cargo services, stated that the capacity of the previous terminal was limited to 50,000 tonnes. He added that they had sometimes had to resort to working over capacity, catering for up to 75,000 tonnes.
He further said that with the old terminal having been in use for over forty years, the company had been unable to accommodate customers' goods in an optimum manner.
Shareef said that although the new building's construction had been completed in 2022, commencing provision of services from the new terminal had not been given importance till date. He thanked President Dr Muizzu for the cooperation extended towards the opening of the terminal.
A dedicated three storey office building has been constructed alongside the terminal for the use of staff and customers. Fifty five offices in the building have been designated for use by airline cargo services and cargo brokers.
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