Hanimaadhoo Airport to be opened latest by November

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the government's target is to complete development of the Hanimaadhoo International Airport latest by November. 

Speaking to residents of Hanimaadhoo during his ongoing visit to HDh atoll, the President acknowledged that he is also aware of the delays in the airport project. 

He assured that once the ongoing work is completed, the airport will be ready to accommodate international flights. 

The President said that a Bank of Maldives counter will be placed at the airport, facilitating dollar purchase for Maldivians travelling abroad. 

In addition to this, a dollar ATM will be placed on the island, along with MVR ATMs from both Bank of Maldives and Maldives Islamic Bank, he said. 

The Hanimaadhoo Airport project is one of the largest airport development projects currently ongoing in the country. Last July, Minister of Housing, Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib said that as of then, 88.7 percent of the project had been completed. At the time, he estimated that the project would be completed in full by September. 

Development of the airport was contracted to India's Kalpataru Projects (formerly GMC) in September 2022. 

Under the project, a 2.7km runway, a new terminal with the capacity to serve 1.3 million passengers annually, an air traffic control tower, a cargo building and a fuel farm is being constructed. 

USD 136 million (MVR 2 billion) is being spent on the project under the USD 800 million line of credit extended by India's Exim Bank.