Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has denied claims by some media outlets that some scheduled flights at Velana International Airport (VIA) have been cancelled due to capacity issues at the airport.
MACL had released a circular earlier this week advising flights to keep at least 45 minutes of holding fuel in case the flights may not be cleared to land on time due to congestion. MACL had also noted it may not be able to provide priority to flights due to the limited capacity of the apron, and urged flights to follow the scheduled timings in order to avoid congestion at the airport.
Following the circular, some media outlets claimed some flights have been cancelled to capacity issues at the airport. However, MACL denied these claims, stating no scheduled flight has been cancelled due to such an issue.
MACL stated it releases a common circular every year since 2018 ahead of the peak season of tourism, to notify flights on the increased operations at the airport. MACL noted all international airlines are provided slots under the respective international regulations, adding some airlines are also requesting an increase of slots at the airport. The company said all airlines will be given an equal opportunity to attain slots, based on the capacity of the airport.