Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL) has issued drawings of the new terminal at the Velana International Airport.
Speaking on the condition of anonymously, a former official of MACL reported that these drawings were drawn up years back, under the previous administration, and merely repackaged as new plans for the terminal. He further said that all plans related to funding, execution, and other related aspects had been in place for years.
The former official added he can only speculate that this was an attempt to depict that this terminal as a project of this administration. He highlighted the heavy economic losses sustained as a result of this administration delaying the opening and use of the new terminal. Neither the new terminal nor the new runway, both projects of the previous administration, are yet to be put to use.
A new seaplane terminal was also part of the airport expansion plan made in the Yameen administration. The current administration had also delayed opening this terminal, pushing back the dates multiple times.