Maldives Airports Company (MACL) has said that the new seaplane terminal being developed at Velana International Airport is going to costs USD 26 million and MACL is going to run operations.

A tweet sent out by the company today said that while a number of media outlets have reported that the seaplane terminal costs USD 55 million, the figure is not accurate.

The company said that they will also be running the operations of the terminal’s VIP lounge. However, independent operators can run their own lounges by renting the space for it.

MACL said that the new four-story terminal designed to accommodate multi-operational work will have a dedicated VIP floor.

The company said that the terminal is estimated to be completed in the second quarter of the year and with its opening, it will become the largest seaplane operations terminal in the world.

MACL has made the announcement after facing criticism following the rumors that the company was going to handover seaplane terminal operations to TMA.