Govt. seeking interested parties to develop 4 airports

The government of the Maldives has made an announcement for interested parties to develop airports in four islands of the Maldives. 

In an announcement made by the Finance Ministry last night, interested parties to develop airports in the following islands were asked to submit an expression of interest.

The islands are:

• B. Thulhaadhoo
• Sh. Bilehffahi
• Th. Vilufushi
• H. Dh. Makunudhoo

Terms of reference will be available from the website of the Ministry from January 31. Proposals from those interested parties that meet requirements are to be submitted afterward.

The offer to express interest will last until February 15. 

Current airport development projects include the airport of Lh. Madivaru developed by a private party and the airport of G. Dh. Faresmaathodaa developed by MTCC. The airport developed in H. A. Hoarafushi was completed and recently opened. 

The government policy is to develop airports within a 30-minute distance of all inhabited islands. Currently, the Maldives has three international airports with 14 domestic airports. 

While an airport project in Thulhaadhoo is in the works, the airport in Dharavandhoo of the same atoll is the busiest domestic airport in the nation. An airport to be developed in Makunudhoo is a pledge of many governments, since the island is very much isolated from the rest of the nation due to the geographical formation of the atolls. 

The international airport in H. Dh. Hanimaadhoo is also to be further developed and modernized with the assistance of India.