Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has announced Velana International Airport (VIA) has set a new air traffic movement record.
MACL stated VIA recorded 233 runway movements and 593 seaplane movements on January 2. VIA recorded a total of 826 movements on January 2, beating the previous record of 811 movements on January 5, 2020.
VIA is the main international airport in the Maldives and serves as the main gateway for visitors to the country. The Government of the Maldives is currently working to expand and upgrade the airport and received a loan of USD 50 million from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development last year. The Kuwait Fund had also provided a loan of USD 50 million in 2016 for the airport expansion project. The expansion project costs USD 357 million and involves the construction of a 78,000sqm passenger terminal.
MACL stated the interior and exterior design of the terminal will incorporate cultural aspects of the Maldives. The new terminal is designed to cater to seven million passengers per year, up from the current capacity of 1.5 million passengers. The new passenger terminal is expected to be completed by mid-2022.
MACL also recently introduced the first Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower Simulator in the Maldives to solve the issue of the lack of skilled individuals in the aviation sector. The company is currently operating ATC officers in 17 airports in the Maldives.