The long overdue effort to overhaul and modernise Maldives' land, aviation and marine transportation network remains a key pledge of incumbent President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.
The year 2024 has seen the country take concrete steps towards finally achieving this goal.
One of the most important tasks facing President Muizzu’s Administration after assuming office was to weed out issues that had taken root inside the country’s in the transport system.
Controlling the rampant issuance of garage letters for parking slots required for vehicle registration, along with the allotment and renting out of parking spaces from the capital Male’ region remains a huge step taken by the government to restrict the flow of vehicles to the congested capital.
The three-pronged “Male’ Fehi” programme was launched to address the prevailing traffic congestion in the capital, which includes streamlining vehicle registration, a cap on number of vehicles, enhancing public transportation and ensuring increased road safety for both drivers and pedestrians.
To tackle the persistent garage letter scam, authorities are now implementing a thorough verification process to confirm authenticity of the letters before registering vehicles.
An integrated information system was also established during 20024 to enable the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, the Male’ City Council and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to share real-time information on the vehicle registration process.
The government has also decided to amend the law to prohibit the import of land vehicles that does not meet the age limit specified in the motor vehicle registration regulations.
In 2024, authorities have also implemented strict regulations to streamline domain issuance, with new security measures embedded into the new domain certificates to prevent duplication and provide enhanced protection to domain holders.
Strengthening the health system and expanding emergency health services is an important pledge of the President. The government in 2024 has introduced the air ambulance service which marks a historic milestone in emergency healthcare services in the geographically scattered island nation.
In addition to the air ambulance service, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation has launched several initiatives in 2024 to revamp domestic aviation and strengthen the country’s transportation network.
The process to issue Seafarers Identity Document, required for passengers, was launched within the first seven months of this Administration. GDS integration has also been implemented to expand and further strengthen national flag carrier, Maldivian’s capabilities on international flights.
In addition to expanding its domestic network, the initiative to enhance Maldivian’s international network, launched in 2024 has now come to fruition with the airline’s acquisition of a wide-body aircraft to kick-off its long haul international operations.