Maldives Immigration, on Wednesday, confirmed that controllers were now able to clear a full flight carrying 350 passengers through border control within approximately 15-minutes.
The statement was made by Immigration Controller Mohamed Ahmed Hussain (Hanafee), in response to concerns raised over immigration’s capacity to meet climbing demands due to increased tourist arrivals. These issues have, in turn, lead to notably long queues and terminal overcrowding.
In an interview given to local news outlet Mihaaru, Hussain attributed the delays that were recently experienced by incoming tourists to changes brought to the software that is used by local controllers.
Immigration authorities reported active efforts to defuse the situation since Sunday, having received numerous complaints from tourists and resort representatives over the past week, regarding extended waiting periods experienced at Velana international, Maldives’ largest airport.
According to Hussain, service would now be accessible within a maximum of 35 seconds from the moment a visitor arrives at an immigration counter. Previously, passengers would have had to wait an average of 1 minute, upon entry into the clearance area.
Actions speak louder than words.
— Mohamed (Hanafy) 🇲🇻 (@hanafymv) December 16, 2020
I assure that, each tourist will take approx. 35secs for immigration clearance, following the recent enhancement. With this speed and 14 counters in action, a 350pax flight will be cleared in about 15mins. Thanks to officers for the effort. pic.twitter.com/o2XyXK6xRF
The issues raised last week concerned wait periods that spanned over an hour, sometimes as many as 4 -5 hours.
“We are now serving at all of our counters. We have made changes that allow for the same speed of service prior to the COVID19 pandemic”, said the Immigration Controller.
Attributing the increase in speed to technology rather than an expansion of Human Resources, Hussain added that President Ibrahim Solih himself had urged authorities to resolve the situation and further increase efficiency.
On Tuesday, Mihaaru News reported that the number of foreign nationals arriving at Velana International Airport within a period of 24 hours, had begun averaging 4000 tourists per day.
It was suggested that a 15 percent increase in flights headed for Maldives led to a rise of 32 percent in tourist arrivals, with unnamed sources within the industry quoted saying that current figures indicate a recovery curve close to pre-COVID19 arrival rates.
Akin to most countries around the globe, travel restrictions implemented as part of the island nation’s response to contain the spread of COVID19, left the country vulnerable to severe economic impacts. Mid-April, World Bank projected that Maldives would be the worst-hit economy in the South Asian region due to the pandemic.
Heavily reliant on tourism for revenue, with the industry momentarily ground to a halt, Maldives has estimated a shortfall of approximately USD 450 million (MVR 6.9 billion) in foreign currency, while projected state deficits are said to reach MVR 13 billion this year
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