Monday
23rd Dec 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL) has revealed that the new runway will be operational in October.
The new runway was built and opened during the Yameen administration.
Since then, the runway had remained unused.
MACL General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Hassan Areef said the runway would be operational in October. He added that opening the runway in October would coincide with tourism peak season and would expedite airport operations.
He said the new runway would shorten the time planes have to taxi from 15 minutes to three minutes.
The 3,400 meter long and 65-meter-wide runway is one of the largest projects for the airport. The first test flights landed in 2019 – this was the first time an A-380 landed in the capital.
China’s Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) constructed the runway. China’s Exim Bank funded a US$ 400 million for the project. In addition to the runway, a fuel farm, storing 45 million liters of fuel was created, as well as a 80,000 ton cargo facility.