83 percent Hanimaadhoo airport, linked to north’s hopes, completed

Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL) states 83 percent of the international airport being developed in HDh. Hanimaadhoo has been completed.

The airport’s development is funded by a USD 800 million line of credit issued from EXIM Bank, India, under an agreement executed between the Maldivian government and the bank in 2019.

The project, which is directly linked to the hopes of northern Maldivians, will see the development of a 42,000 square feet apron, a 2,400 meter runway, a 10,500 square feet passenger terminal and a 3,800 square feet air traffic control tower alongside an arm and fuel jetty. The passenger terminal can accommodate up to 1.3 million passengers per annum.

In last year’s July, Infrastructure Ministry said the project would be completed by this year’s March. The project had been 67 percent complete back then.

On Tuesday, RACL announced 83 percent of the project had been completed, representing a major milestone in the vital initiative in terms of infrastructure development.

Although there are numerous resorts and guesthouses in northern Maldives, their most pertinent concern if the fact that they have to rely on Male’ for their travel requirements.

If tourists were to travel from Male’ to northern islands including Hanimadhoo, the cost of their air fare would cover one week’s stay in a guesthouse near Male’. This is one of the reasons behind the low demand for resorts and guesthouses in northern atolls.

This issue is expected to be resolved once the international airport being developed at Hanimadhoo is completed and operationalized.

The development of Hanimaadhoo international airport was contracted to India’s JMC Projects for USD 136.6 million. The company has extensive experience in engineering and construction.

The earliest completion of the airport is awaited by residents of northern islands who believe it is crucial to achieve true development in the region.

Hanimaadhoo international airport project was initiated by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration.

Hanimaadhoo Airport, developed during former president Maumoon Abdulla Gayyoom’s administration, had initially been utilized only for domestic operations. It was changed to an international airport in 2012. However, the airport’s only international operations were weekly flights to India’s Trivandrum.