Land reclamation for the development of an airport in Milandhoo, Shaviyani Atoll, has been completed.
The initiative has been assigned to the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), with dredging works commencing on 3 April.
In a post on social media, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu stated that reclamation for the project was completed on 4 May, with 21 hectares reclaimed in 31 days. An additional 4.9 hectares of land will be added to the land area once the trees are cleared , bringing the total project area to 25.9 hectares.
The project involved the placement of 1,134,534 cubic metres of sand. Dredging was carried out using Boskalis’ and Queen of the Netherlands dredger, which has a capacity of 35,000 cubic metres.
The development aligns with President Muizzu’s pledge to establish an airport in Milandhoo, an island with a population of over 2,700. He has assured that the project will be completed within his current term.
MACL was assigned the land reclamation for both the airport and harbour development projects in October 2025, with practical works scheduled for completion within eight months from the start date.
The government has stated that the project was entrusted to MACL to ensure the most efficient use of land in both the short and long term. The harbour area is also being temporarily relocated to facilitate airport construction, with provisions for this included in the overall design of the development.