Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has said it will assigned the work to relocate the seaplane base at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport to a contractor within the next three months.
The company said the seaplane base will be set up in the area adjacent to the air traffic control tower once the ongoing land reclamation work is completed.
According to MACL, the current seaplane base will be reclaimed to build the airport’s new runway.
Briefing the media about the progress of the ongoing Ibrahim Nasir International Airport development project, Managing Director of MACL Adil Moosa said the concept design for the proposed seaplane base has now been finalised and that the project will be awarded to a contractor once the technical assessments have been completed.
Around 19 hectares of land have so far been reclaimed under the airport expansion project.
The INIA development project is one the biggest and most expensive development projects undertaken in the country.
According to the government, the multi-phased project will cost around 800 million US dollars.
The project, which will expand the airport by 30 percent and create additional runway space, is expected to be completed in 2018.
Maldives Airports Company says a 3400-meter long 65-metre wide runway will be built as part of the project, which is contracted to China’s Beijing Urban Construction Group, BUCG.
The project will also see development of a modern cargo complex at the airport.