Work to expand Maafaru Airport runway to commence early

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has announced Abu Dhabi Fund for Development’s (ADFD) assurance that the project to expand the runway at Maafaru International Airport, located at Maafaru in Noonu Atoll, would commence very soon.

Via a tweet on Saturday, Minister Shahid said that he met with ADFD’s Director General Mohamed Saif Al-Suwaidi in Dubai as part of his ongoing trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He detailed that a constructive discussion took place between the both of them, during which Al-Suwaidi assured early commencement of work on expanding the runway at Maafaru International Airport.

Met with the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development #ADFD Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, in Dubai.

We had a constructive discussion.

Was assured of early commencement of phase 2 of Maafaru Airport Development Project.

Thanked him for ongoing development cooperation. pic.twitter.com/SzLI3uOhTU

— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) October 15, 2022

Opened in 2019, the Maafaru International Airport was developed with funding from ADFD – which awarded USD 60 million grant for the project - and contracted to Singaporean company, Tuff Offshore. The airport was developed to accommodate Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircrafts, and is scheduled to be further enlarged to accommodate Boing 777 twinjet. 

In this regard, the runway measures 2,200 meters in length and 40 meters in width. The airport includes a terminal and a lounge as well.