Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail has said Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) is capable of operating the new seaplane terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA). The economic minister made the remarks following concerns raised by the public over plans to hand over the new seaplane terminal to another company.
In a tweet, Economic Minister Fayyaz said VIA was handed over to MACL, as it has the capacity to operate the largest gateway to Maldives. Expressing confidence MACL has the capacity to run the new seaplane terminal, the minister stated facility must be handed over to a company with sufficient experience and technical capacity.
Moreover, Fayyaz highlighted the new seaplane terminal is minor compared to the operation of VIA. He expressed confidence MACL can hire technical staff required and fully operate the terminal.
Meanwhile, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating accusations made that the seaplane terminal is to be leased out in a manner that will negatively impact the revenue generated by the state.
Speaking to media, acting Managing Director of MACL Moosa Solih stated the development of the seaplane terminal will be completed by May 2020. He said efforts will be underway to handover the terminal to seaplane operators early next year.
The seaplane terminal in VIA is developed with state-of-the-art facilities as part of the USD 1-billion airport expansion project. The four-storey terminal covers an area of 28,000 square metres and would be the largest seaplane hub in the world.