Air traffic at Velana International Airport (VIA) has hit record levels on January 5.
Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) said 811 movements were recorded at VIA on January 5, with 552 runway movements and 559 seaplane movements. MACL noted this was the third time flight operations hit record levels since December.
The peak season of tourism and school holidays has caused an increase in air traffic at VIA. MACL has advised all passengers to report to their respective departures three hours prior to the departure time, to ensure smoother operations.
A billion dollar project to develop and expand services at VIA is currently underway. The project includes a new runway, an international terminal, a seaplane terminal, a fuel farm and a cargo complex to render services more efficiently. The expansion project will also allocate more parking areas for aircraft.
Upon the completion of the expansion project, VIA will have the capacity to cater to 7.5 million travellers a year, according to MACL.