President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has arrived in Haa Alifu Hoarafushi to open the Hoarafushi Airport.

The President announced that he was in Hoarafushi on Twitter with a video of the plane landing at the airport.

Responding to a question from One Online, the Spokesperson of the President’s Office, Ibrahim Hoodh said that the President has left to Hoarafushi after about ten months in the capital due to the COVID-19 situation in the country.

Hoarafushi Airport was initially set to be opened two days ago but had been delayed due to heavy rain. The ceremony is now set to take place this afternoon.

The Hoarafushi Airport is the first airport development project that has been completed during the current administration and the test flight was made to the airport on Sunday.

Horafushi Airport was initially set to be developed in Haa Alifu Maafinolhu by the previous administration of Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. However, the project was moved to Hoarafushi by the current President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as a presidential promise and contracted the project to the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) for MVR 198 million on 25 March 2019.

MTCC carried out the project in two phases where the first phase saw the land reclamation of 35 hectare of land and securing the beach with fences before developing a runway 1.2 kilometers long and 30 meters wide.