The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has assured Phase II of the Maafaru International Airport will begin soon. ADFD gave the assurance during a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid who is currently on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
During the meeting, Minister Shahid and Director General of ADFD Saif Al Suwaidi discussed the ongoing projects in the Maldives with the assistance of ADFD. Discussing the development of Maafaru International Airport, Saif Al Suwaidi assured that Phase II of the project will begin soon. Meanwhile, Minister Shahid expressed that Maafaru International Airport will be an important gateway connecting the Maldives with other countries. He appreciated ADFD for its assistance to the Maldives and the assistance from the UAE government for the development of Maldives. He is scheduled to leave for Oman as the President's Special Representative after completing his official visit to the UAE.
During a visit to Maafaru, Noonu Atoll, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said the people of the region greatly benefit from Maafaru International Airport. However, the president noted it is a priority of the administration to expand the airport, adding the project is delayed due to some issues in the bidding process. In this regard, the president said the airport expansion project will begin this year after the completion of the bidding process. He said the runway space and terminal will also be expanded as part of the Maafaru International Airport expansion project. He said fuelling services will be established in the airport and Island Aviation Services Limited (IASL) will develop a hotel at the airport. He also noted the project would create more job opportunities for the atoll.
Maafaru International Airport was opened for scheduled flights on January 1, 2020. The airport was built from a grant of USD60 million provided by the ADFD. The airport has a 2,200m long and a 40m wide runway and is designed to handle the largest aircraft in operation including the Airbus A380 superjumbo jets.