Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) Deputy Managing Director Mujthaba Latheef has said that 65 per cent of the work required to bring Velana International Airport’s (VIA) new terminal into operation was completed within the past two years under the current Administration.

Speaking on state media’s Raajje Miadhu programme, Mujthaba said the terminal’s foundation was laid by Indian firm GMR in 2016, but only around half of the overall work had been completed over the following eight years.

He stated that the terminal could have been completed and made operational within three years, but by the time President Dr Mohamed Muizzu assumed office, construction had stalled due to unpaid dues to contractors.

Although the terminal building had been structurally completed, significant work remained to make it operational. Mujthaba said the current Government secured funding for the remaining components and completed them within two years – accounting for 65 per cent of the total work required to fully operationalise the facility.

He highlighted several key tasks completed since November 2023, including the installation of a water production system, utility connections, electricity provision, and construction of a drainage system for the terminal roof. He noted that no access roads had been built, and no contracts had previously been awarded for these works, all of which were undertaken under the current Administration.

Mujthaba added that essential infrastructure such as the head-of-stand road connecting the terminal to the aircraft ramp had not been included in the original project scope. Similarly, the commercial area had not been contracted and lacked secured funding.

He further noted that the Government brought four generators into operation to supply electricity to the airport and completed outstanding works on the fuel farm, fire station, and cargo building.