President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that when he took office, only 54% of the work on the new terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA) was complete, and most of the work was contracted by his administration.

Speaking on his "Rayyithunaa Eku" podcast today, President Muizzu said that the new terminal work began during President Abdulla Yameen's administration, and some work was done during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's term. He added that all remaining work was completed by the current administration.

"That's in about a year and a half. Anyone who looks at the facts can see which administration did which work, so there's no need to claim that I did most of the work," the President said.

The President said that during the transition period before he took office, the first place he visited was the airport to check on the progress of the work. He mentioned that in an interview he gave that day, he highlighted that the airport project was the most important project for this administration.

"That day I learned how much was completed. Many interior works were left to be done. And this isn't just about completing the terminal building. There were many operational tasks to be done. And many things within the project scope were yet to be contracted. One of these was the road that needs to be built if the Head of Stand On area of the terminal is to be used in any way. What we call the spine. The spine wasn't contracted to anyone. We contracted that road to be built," the President said.

"This terminal project was 54% complete when we took over, and even if the terminal was finished, it couldn't be used without the Head of Stand On. Also, the duty-free wasn't contracted," the President said.

The President further stated that they initially wanted to complete and open the terminal work by last October. However, due to various obstacles, the work is now being completed for Independence Day.