New Velana terminal hastened due to President's wisdom: Saeed

Progress of the upcoming Velana terminal proceeded at speed due to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu setting timelines for producing results says Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed. The terminal is set to open on 26th July 2025.

Today morning at a ceremony at Maaafaru to commemorate the completion of the second phase of the Maafaru International Airport (MIA), Saeed said that the President and his cabinet are deeply invested in the completion timeline of the current development projects in the country.

"President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has been involved very closely with us, just constantly advising and guiding us," said Saeed.

He goes on to say that the President has been working day and night to bring his vision of uplifting the economy of Maldives and that the fruits of his labor are already showing.

According to Saeed, the Maldivian economy was in quite a bind when President Muizzu took office, with many challenges grinding the economy to a halt.

He stated that even when the country was in such a state, the President exercised patience and wisdom, while working with foreign parties and senior officials of Maldivian industries.

"No matter the weather, no matter the situation, the President is patiently and wisely working to get the economy back on track and build confidence," Saeed said.

Saeed goes on to say, "The new Velana terminal is set to hopefully open within this month. Even after taking office, the President took the time to dot out timelines that were to be followed with diligence, along with giving his instruction directly to the airport. And it is due to this that we are seeing the current results."

Once the entire terminal is open and fully functional, it is projected to provide its service to 7.5 million passengers.

Due to the opening of the new terminal, the airport will have an increase of 1,800 employees as well. MACL has said that there will be more airlines that the airport will be able to accommodate with the opening of the new terminal, including the current 30 airlines.

Maafaru International Airport, Maldives' most popular private jet lander, has had its runway extended, which in turn would allow for the larger airplanes to land easily. The runway got an extension from 2.2 kilometers to 2.8 kilometers, allowing Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 flights to touch down.

In celebration of the completion of the project's second phase, Maldivian Airlines' first widebody aircraft, the A330-200 landed today at Maafaru International Airport.

An Emirates Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft landed at the airport in May to test its ability to accommodate larger aircraft.

Maafaru International Airport ceased international flights in last year of May onwards in order to upgrade the airport. They restarted the process of international flights last year in October. The airport was initially built with funding help from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

Maafaru International Airport, operated by Island Aviation, initially opened on 1st December 2019.