Hanimaadhoo International Airport operations shifted to new terminal

The new Hanimadhoo Airport terminal is scheduled to be officially inaugurated on the 9th of next month.

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HANIMAADHOO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT / PHOTO: ABDULLA NASIR

Shazma Thaufeeq

2025-10-17 19:52:06

Operations at Hanimaadhoo International Airport, which is preparing for its official opening next month, were transferred to the new terminal on Thursday.

Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), which operates the airport, stated that operations commenced on the ground floor of the new terminal Thursday. The company added that with this transition, the airport can now accommodate Code-C aircraft, which are among the largest types of airplanes.

MACL Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed previously told "Mihaaru News" that the new terminal was brought into use prior to the official opening because the old terminal needs to be demolished to fully utilize the airport's new runway. Operations have been relocated to the new terminal, and work will now begin on dismantling the old terminal.

The new Hanimaadhoo Airport terminal is scheduled to be officially inaugurated on the 9th of next month.

The Hanimaadhoo Airport development, financed by a loan from India, is currently one of the largest airport development projects underway in the Maldives.

The airport contract was awarded during the former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration to India's Kalpataru Projects in September 2022.

Under the project, work is currently progressing on a new 2.7-kilometer runway, a new terminal capable of serving 1.3 million passengers annually, a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, a cargo building, and a fuel farm.

HANIMAADHOO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Airport operations shifted to new terminal --- Photo: Abdulla Nasir

The runway, which has been upgraded to accommodate the largest aircraft, was completed last year.

The project is being funded with USD 136 million (MVR 2 billion) from the USD 800 million Line of Credit provided by the Exim Bank of India.