President Muizzu inaugurates MVR 540mn airport in Muli

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday officially inaugurated the Muli Airport – the first airport to open in the M. Atoll.

President Muizzu, accompanied by Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib, Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen, and Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL)’s Managing Director Ahmed Mubeen and other senior state officials, visited Muli for the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday morning.

The MVR 221 million contract to develop the Muli Airport was contracted to Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) in 2021, as part of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration’s initiative develop an airport within a 30-minute distance of all residential islands in the Maldives.

Scope of the project included reclamation of 14 hectors of land, coastal protection operations of 1,812 meters, and construction of a 1,200-meter-long and 30-meter-wide runway, and a taxiway and an apron.

MTCC had been required to complete the project in one year, but the project remained stalled due to budgetary constraints.

During his 2023 presidential campaign, President Muizzu pledged to ensure the completion of the project. His administration spent an additional MVR 319 million on the project, with the final cost of the project rising to MVR 540 million.

The MTCC completed the airport, and the first test flight landed at the airport on April 25.