Managing Director of Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL) Ahmed Mubeen has stated the ongoing development of Hanimaadhoo International Airport is expected to be completed by March 2025. The managing director also announced that the development of the new runway in the airport is fully completed, and will be opened for operations on June 23.
The airport development project includes the development of a 2.46km runway to enable larger aircraft such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s to land at the airport. The initiative is directly interconnected with tourism within the region and the economy of the atoll.
The project undertaken for the redevelopment of the airport was launched in January 2023. The first initiative taken was to establish a new runway of 2,465m in length. Due to the land constraints encountered in both the new runway and the previous runway, a total of 1,200 meters of the new runway was put in operation on January 28, 2024, subsequent to the completion of the initial phase. While the works of the remaining 1,200 meters are completed, efforts are underway to prepare the runway for flight operations.
Speaking on a programme aired on PSM News, Mubeen stated that all the final preparations are ongoing to officially put the airport into operations. Upon completion of the development, the airport will have the capability to cater services to 1.5 million passengers annually and will operate 24 hours. Mubeen additionally disclosed all the practical works of the airport development project will be completed by the year-end.
Furthermore, Mubeen highlighted the collaborative efforts of various agencies to complete necessary tasks prior to the completion of the developmental project. As such, with the joint efforts from the Ministry of Tourism and the resorts situated in the Northern region of the nation, arrangements are being made such that tourists who made bookings to those resorts will arrive at Hanimaadhoo International Airport, instead of Velana International Airport (VIA).
RACL acknowledged the government's dedication and commitment to initiate the second phase of the airport development project upon completion of the first phase of the project. With the development of the seaplane terminal under the second phase, tourists will be able to travel to the resorts directly from Hanimaadhoo.