Indian minister arrives for Hanimaadhoo airport inauguration

India’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, arrived in the Maldives on Sunday as a special envoy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Naidu was received at Velana International Airport by Maldives Foreign Minister Dr Abdulla Khaleel. No further details of the visit have been disclosed.

The Indian minister is scheduled to attend the official inauguration of the newly developed Hanimaadhoo International Airport in Haa Dhaalu Atoll on Sunday evening. The ceremony will also be attended by President Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed.

The Hanimaadhoo Airport development project, financed through an Indian credit line extended by the Exim Bank of India, cost USD 136 million (approximately MVR 2 billion).

The project includes a 2.46-kilometre runway, a new passenger terminal designed to accommodate up to 1.3 million passengers annually, and an aerobridge to support operations for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

The opening marks the completion of one of the largest infrastructure developments in the north of the Maldives, aimed at improving regional connectivity and supporting tourism growth.