New airport development master plan to accommodate the largest airplanes that fly today

Government as assembled a master plan to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), to equip the airport with facilities to accommodate the largest airplanes that fly today.

Speaking to Sun in an exclusive interview yesterday, Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL) Dr. Ibrahim Mahfooz said that the master plan was put together by government committee.

“The master plan is based on the master plan that was drawn up by a UK firm Scott Wilson on behalf of MACL. The estimates in their master plan match quite accurately. It also includes (an estimate) of the number of passengers that will arrive and ways to expand the terminal. The master plan includes short and long term plans,” he said.

Dr. Mahfooz said that they are currently seeking a firm to provide consultancy in implementing the master plan. Companies from Germany, South Korea and Germany have expressed interests, he said.

“The new company established by the government to manage the airport will implement the new master plan. The first and most prompt thing that has to be built is a new runway,” Dr. Mahfooz said. “A new runway is necessary for the airport.”

He said that new terminal and runway can accommodate landing and departure of Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights. He said that Emirate and other large aviation companies have expressed their interest to fly A380 flights to Maldives.

“In addition, the departure, arrival and baggage screening mechanisms will be overhauled. This will allow departing passengers to check-in directly. They will not have to screen their baggage on their own. The baggage for arriving passengers will also be screened before they receive them. This will be a big change. It will greatly ease things for the passengers,” Dr. Mahfooz said.

He said that the airport terminal has to undergo certain changes to introduce a new baggage screening mechanism. The introduction of inland screening will greatly reduce the time passengers will have to wait to receive their baggage, he said

“There will be a green channel and a red channel. The people who go through the green channel can pass directly. Major changes will be made to introduce this change. For the vehicles to pass through, the pillars and roofing at the back have to be changed. Then, the processes in the airport will be faster,” he said.

He said that the current runway would be utilized as a taxiway, once the new runway comes into effect. He said that a French company has been commissioned to survey the existing runway prior to its repair.

“The survey will determine the extent of repair needed for the runway. It has been repaired before, bit by bit. This runway was designed with reference to the airplanes that landed back then. But airplane size has increased. The number of arrivals has also increased. We are using the runway as a taxiway too, because now, there is only one runway,” Dr. Mahfooz said.