Faresmaathodaa airport to be complete by 2021’s end

Housing, Planning and Infrastructure Minister Mohamed Aslam said on Wednesday he expects the airport underdevelopment in G. Dh. Faresmaathodaa to be complete by the end of the coming year.

In response to a question by Faresmaathodaa MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Aslam said the project’s contractor, Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) will begin work on the project before December 15.

Work on the project originally began during the administration of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. The land reclamation project for the airport was contracted to Gulf Cobbler.

Aslam said on Wednesday that Faresmaathodaa is ready to clear the land and begin work on the base layer for the runway. He said it will take MTCC between eight to ten months for the work.

“The airport work will be complete come the end of next year, and the work on the bridge between Faresmaathodaa where the airport will be built and the island which lies approximately 100 meters away will also be carried out parallel to the airport work,” he said.

MTCC was contracted the MVR 144.9 million airport project on November 10. According to the terms of the contract, the company is required to complete the project within one year and eight months.

The project involves building a 1.2 kilometer runway, a terminal building, and other facilities.

The Faresmaathodaa airport is being developed under the government’s policy of developing domestic airports within 30-minute distances. Airports already in operation in Huvadhoo Atoll include the G. Dh. Kaadedhdhoo Airport, the G. A. Kooddoo Airport, and the G. Dh. Maavarulu Airport.