President Solih to travel to Hanimaadhoo to inaugurate airport project

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is scheduled to travel to HDh. Hanimaadhoo later this week, to attend the inauguration of the project to develop the island’s airport.

The USD 136.6 million airport development project was contracted to India’s JMC Projects in August last year.

The project is financed under the credit line agreement signed between Maldives and India in 2019. It will see the construction of a 2.46-kilometer runway and a passenger terminal with the capacity to accommodate 1.3 million passengers each year.

Hanimaadhoo Council’s president Abdul Sattar Hassan told Sun that President Solih will arrive in Hanimaadhoo on Wednesday, January 18.

Abdul Sattar said the project to develop and modernize the Hanimaadhoo Airport will benefit not just the island, but the entire region.

“People agree the development of this airport will drive economic development in these three atolls [HA. Atoll, HDh. Atoll, and Sh. Atoll],” he said.

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is also scheduled to travel to Maldives to attend the project’s inauguration.

Once the project is complete, the Hanimaadhoo Airport will be able to accommodate large international commercial aircrafts including Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. The airport will also provide a direct getaway for flights from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, and East Africa.

The project has been described as a priority project for the Maldivian government, based on its policy to develop an economic hub in northern Maldives, and boost trade and employment opportunities in the region.

The government previously stated that the airport would be operational in 2024.