Airport handed over to MACL

23:35 - Final preparations for handing over the airport are almost complete. The ceremony will be at Koimala VIP Lounge at midnight. Local and foreign journalists are present, waiting for the ceremony to begin. No GMR officials will participate in the ceremony.

23:54 - The airport handover ceremony has begun. The ceremony is attended by Ministers.

23:57 - Acting Transport Minister Mohamed Nazim is giving a speech. He said that after a long wait, Maldivians have got their airport back, and that this is an exemplary transition. He said that changes will be made to MACL.

00:02 - Nazim has said that he hopes that relations between Maldives and India will not be affected.

00:03 - Finance Minister Jihad has presented the document to hand over the airport to MACL Managing Director Mohamed Ibrahim.

00:04 - Nazim has announced that the permit issued to GMR to operate the airport has been cancelled. He said that GMR has completed all procedures necessary for the handover of the airport, and that officials of GMR do not need to present at the ceremony.

00:13 - Nazim said that airport fees will also be changed, and that MACL will be restructured.

00:18 - Nazim said that from midnight onwards, Maldivians' airport is being managed by Maldivians. He assured that GMR will not be involved in anything.

00:32 - Finance Minister has said that the amount required to be paid as compensation will be paid, regardless of how difficult that may be.

Attorney General Azima Shakoor said that it is not yet known how the arbitration process will end. She said that it will take three months even for the arbitration council to be formed. She expressed hope that the compensation will be lower than anticipated.

00:37 - The press conference has come to an end.

00:37 - Nazim said while concluding the press conference that Maldivians have reclaimed their airport, and that MACL can manage the airport on its own.

00:39 - It was also announced that there are no plans to privatise the airport in the near future.

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The Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) will take over the management of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) in about an hour, at 12 midnight. Notification of the change of management has been served to all employees by GMR MAHB Consortium, the current administrator of the INIA and the Maldivian government.

MACL, a public corporation owned fully by the Maldivian government, managed the INIA until it was leased to the GMR MAHB Consortium by former President Mahomet Nasheed’s administration in 2010. The current government of the Maldives, headed by President Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik decided to terminate the controversial contract which sealed the deal a few days ago. It has been alleged that the Nasheed administration leased INIA to the GMR Consortium through a process which involved corruption, illegal decisions, and hidden deals.

GMR MAHB Consortium and the Maldivian government have come to an understanding about the smooth transfer of the INIA management. Maldivian Defence Minister Muhammad Nazim, who is now temporarily in charge of the Ministry of Transport, and GMR MAHB Consortium’s CEO Andrew Harrison met with the staff of the Airport this evening.

Speaking to Sun Online about the meeting, Nazim said tonight that Andrew informed the staff that MACL would take over the management of INIA from 12 o’clock tonight.

Nazim also said that the staff had been given assurance that no person’s employment or salaries and allowances would be affected in any way. Nazim also noted that the staff at INIA are cooperating with the transfer of management.

“Everything is going fine and very smoothly. We are ready for the management transfer”, said Nazim.

Nazim also said that GMR was also very cooperative in the matter, and that the staff of GMR have been active since 10 o’clock this morning in preparing all the necessary documents for the transfer.

“I extend my deepest gratitude to the management and staff of the GMR Consortium for their cooperation”, said Nazim.

A special function would be held tonight at 11:55 at the Koimala Launge at INIA to officially hand over the Airport to MACL. Necessary documents would be exchanged in the function. The media has been invited to the function as well.