Section of Velana International Airport’s new terminal to open on July 26

A section of the new terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA) will open to the public on July 26, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) said today.

Speaking at the Aviation Forum held at Hulhule' Island Hotel, MACL’s Chief Technology Officer, Shafeez Ahmed, said the launch marks a major milestone in the company’s efforts to improve airport services.

"The new terminal will open on July 26. There will be changes in services, including self-check-in, automated baggage drop counters, and a new baggage handling system," he said.

Shafeez added that the new terminal will begin operating in conjunction with six aerobridges. All services currently provided in the existing terminal will be transferred to the new facility within three months of its opening, he said.

The terminal project is funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), which secured USD 100 million (MVR 1.5 billion) from the Saudi Fund and an additional USD 80 million (MVR 1.2 billion) for the project. The total cost of the terminal is expected to reach MVR 7 billion.

Currently, around 600 workers are on site, working up to 18 hours a day to meet the completion deadline.

The government has said the new terminal will increase the airport’s capacity to handle up to 7.5 million passengers annually.

Key features of the new terminal:

- 78,000 square metres in size

- Designed to serve an average of 8,000 passengers daily

- Includes self-service check-in and baggage drop facilities

- Equipped with 38 immigration counters

- Passenger processing capacity to increase by 20 percent

- Seven additional check-in counters