New runway to be opened for operation in October

Velana International Airport (VIA)'s new runway will be opened on 6 October, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has said.

The runway project began in 2017 with a USD 373 million loan from China's Exim Bank. The runway project was contracted to China's Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG), and the first test flight landed on the runway in September 2018.

The new runway is 34,000 meters and 65 meters in width, allowing the largest aircrafts to land on the runway.

The runway operation has been delayed due to the delay in moving the TMA Seaplane Terminal near the runway. However, MACL had previously planned for the runway to be opened around season time.

MACL official told 'One' on Wednesday that the new runway and the Seaplane Terminal will both be opened for operation next month.

The 'Instrument Landing System' (ILS) has also been installed and tested last week as part of the preparations for the new runway operations.