Hanimaadhoo Airport’s new terminal operationalized

The new passenger terminal being developed at HDh. Hanimaadhoo International Airport has been operationalized on Thursday.

The government is targeting to complete all works and inaugurate the airport in November.

Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), which runs Hanimaadhoo International Airport, said the operations of the airport has been shifted to the new terminal’s ground floor on Thursday.

According to the company, the shift was made as part of efforts to align the airport’s infrastructure with the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority’s standards, enabling Code C aircraft to utilize the full length of the newly developed runway. MACL stated that in order to meet runway clearance requirements, the existing terminal and adjacent tall structures will be dismantled.

During a visit to Hanimaadhoo on August 25, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu reiterated his administration’s commitment to completing and opening the airport by November 2025. The President emphasized that the airport’s development is central to boosting northern connectivity, tourism, and economic growth.

The airport’s development is funded by a USD 800 million line of credit issued from EXIM Bank, India, under an agreement executed between the Maldivian government and the bank in 2019. The development of Hanimaadhoo International Airport was contracted to India’s JMC Projects for USD 136.6 million. 

The project, which is directly linked to the hopes of northern Maldivians, will see the development of a 42,000 square feet apron, a 2,400-meter runway, a 10,500 square feet passenger terminal and a 3,800 square feet air traffic control tower alongside an arm and fuel jetty. The passenger terminal can accommodate up to 1.3 million passengers per annum.

Although there are numerous resorts and guesthouses in northern Maldives, their most pertinent concern if the fact that they have to rely on Male’ for their travel requirements.

If tourists were to travel from Male’ to northern islands including Hanimaadhoo, the cost of their air fare would cover one week’s stay in a guesthouse near Male’. This is one of the reasons behind the low demand for resorts and guesthouses in northern atolls.