MACL: VIA immigration process to possibly be slow in the next 24 hours

Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), on Wednesday, has warned of the possibility of Velana International Airport’s (VIA) immigration process being slow in the next 24 hours.

The operator of the airport said that the immigration process at the arrival terminal is highly likely to be slow in the next 24 hours subsequent to an ongoing counter upgrade work.

MACL’s Corporate Communication Manager Shamman Shakir told Sun that efforts were presently underway to increase counters in VIA’s arrival terminal.

For the next 24hrs,passengers may experience delays in the immigration process at arrival terminal due to counter upgrading works @VelanaAirport. With this improvement passengers will experience a streamlined & expedited process.We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused

— Maldives Airports Company Ltd - MACL (@MACLmedia) December 21, 2022

Noting that the work is expected to be completed by Thursday morning – Shamman said that the upgrade in counters will further speed the immigration process at the arrival terminal, and improve the quality of services provided to passengers by a great margin.

MACL underscored an increase in the number of passengers served at VIA this year, compared to that of last year. On this note, the operator of the airport said that there has been a 20 percent increase in passengers this year.

A total of 1.4 million passengers sought VIA’s services last year. MACL expects the number to hit two million this year.