Maafaru Airport reports 300 jet landings at the venue so far in 2022, while 80 additional jets are expected to land in the tourism peak season.
General Manager Mumthaz Ali of Maldivian Airlines, which operates the airport venue, confirmed that prospective jet landings for the peak tourism season will have full occupancy.
The airport is equipped to allow 13 jets in its taxiway simultaneously, while the venue has capacity to accommodate more occasionally.
So far in 2022, the airport has reported a total of 596 jet movements, while another 160 movements are expected during the upcoming holiday season.
Tourist influx to Maldives is currently on the rise, coinciding the winter holidays abroad. Many travelers choose the island nation for its tropical weather, with comparatively warmer weather all year around.
Maafaru Airport reports the second strongest flight movements and landings outside of the country's main air gateway; Velana International Airport (VIA). This is reflective of the high number of top-tier tourist properties in the area which include Velaa Private Island, Soneva Jani and Randheli Resort.
The airport was officially opened in December 2019. Maafaru Airport was developed through a USD 60 million financing from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
Tourist arrivals to the Maldives exclusively in the month of November so far is over 73,000 which is 2,000 more travelers than the tourist arrivals recorded for the corresponding period in 2021.
Meanwhile, tourist arrivals to the Maldives in annual terms has exceeded 1.42 million as of November 16, 2022. Maldives government earlier announced it aspires to attract 1.6 million tourist arrivals by the end of the current year.
Sign In