Work on the new runway at Hanimadhoo International Airport will be completed by the end of May, Managing Director (MD) of Regional Airports Company Limited (RACL) Ahmed Mubeen has confirmed. Work on the new runway, which is part of the airport re-development, began in January 2023.
The new runway, which is being completed in two phases, will be 2,465 metres long. The first phase developed a 1,200-metre section and opened on 28 January this year. Use of the old runway has now been discontinued as work on completion of the second and final phase of the new runway is underway.
Currently, a 600-metre area is near completion and is set to see a final layer of tar, with the next step being to connect the existing section, which is in service, with the newly completed section.
“It was done in two phases. Once the tar work is complete, the two parts will be connected. The whole project will be completed in a month. Then we will have a 2,400-metre runway,” Mubeen said.
The upgrades to the runway includes an additional 700 meters that President Mohamed Muizzu committed to during his initial days in office. The administration is also seeking to develop 9,000 beds to compliment the airport development with plans to promote tourism in the region.
Mubeen said that while the existing runway could accommodate 150-seater aircrafts, the fully completed runway would be able to accommodate large aircraft carrying 250 to 300 passengers, thus bringing more growth to the region.
“The project will be feasible when the runway is expanded. Then planes can land with little concern. Hanimadhoo will become a hub in the north,” Mubeen explained.
The new runway at Hanimadhoo International Airport has been developed with a view to accommodate night flights.
The US$136.6 million project, which will allow the airport to accommodate 1.3 million passengers annually, is one of the largest outside of the central Malé region thus far.