
VIA airspace to close for 1.5 hours during new terminal opening
A spokesperson for MACL stated that the closure will take place from 8:30pm to 10:00pm on the day of the ceremony.
The Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has announced the temporary closure of airspace at Velana International Airport (VIA) for one and a half hours on Saturday night to facilitate the opening ceremony of the new international passenger terminal.
A spokesperson for MACL stated that the closure will take place from 8:30pm to 10:00pm on the day of the ceremony. The timing was chosen as it generally does not coincide with scheduled international flight operations to and from the Maldives.
While the airspace will be restricted during the specified period, MACL confirmed that other airport operations will proceed as normal.
The new terminal, constructed to increase passenger handling capacity, has been developed by the Saudi Binladin Group and subcontracted to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
Key features of the new terminal include:
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A passenger handling capacity of 7.5 million annually
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40 departure gates
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38 immigration counters
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Aero bridges to facilitate boarding and disembarking
The terminal project was initially estimated at USD 350 million (approximately MVR 5.3 billion), but the current cost projection stands at USD 457 million (around MVR 7 billion).
The new terminal forms part of the broader expansion of VIA to accommodate growing passenger traffic and improve airport infrastructure.