VIA starts surfacing new runway; will be operational in Q4

Maldives Airport Company Limited (MACL) has started surfacing the new runway under construction at Velana International Airport with asphalt.

In an interview to “Sun” this Wednesday, General Manager – Corporate Communications of MACL, Hassan Areef said the new runway will be surfaced with three layers of asphalt. He said the work will be completed within the next 100 days, and that the new runway will be made operational within the last quarter of 2018.

The new runway is 3.4 kilometers long and 60 meters wide.

Construction of the runway has been contracted to Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) of China.

Once the new runway is opened, the current 3.2-kilometer-long and 45-meter-wide runway will be used as a taxiway.

Additional development projects underway at VIA includes:

Construction of a new seaplane terminal

Construction of a new cargo terminal

Construction of a new apron

MRO

The entire Velana International Development project is worth approximately USD 1 billion.