Opposition leader and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail said the newly opened Hanimaadhoo International Airport would play a key role in transforming the economy of the northern Maldives.
In a post on X, Fayyaz said, “The long-awaited Hanimaadhoo International Airport will serve as a springboard for launching the revolution of the northern Maldivian economy. The project would not have been possible without the support of the Indian government, and serves an important role in the realisation of our dream of a decentralised Maldives.”
Fayyaz initiated the project during his tenure as Minister of Economic Development under the previous MDP government. The Hanimaadhoo International Airport Development Project was launched to boost regional tourism and economic activity in the northern atolls.
The upgraded airport was officially opened on Sunday night at a ceremony attended by President Mohamed Muizzu and India’s Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, the Special Envoy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Senior officials from both the Maldives and India were also present.
Before the ceremony, a Maldivian Airbus A320 aircraft carried VIP guests to Hanimaadhoo, marking the first such landing on the new 2,465-metre runway.
The US$136.6 million project, funded through the Export-Import Bank of India, includes a new passenger terminal designed to handle 1.3 million travellers annually and a 42,000-square-metre apron. The new runway can accommodate Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.
According to the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), the terminal’s manta ray-inspired design features artwork reflecting the nation’s culture and heritage. A seaplane terminal will be added in the second phase to improve resort connectivity in the northern region.
The airport is expected to enable direct international flights from the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa, furthering efforts to decentralise economic development across the Maldives.