The upgraded Hanimaadhoo International 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 joined the inauguration, marking a key milestone in a project first launched under the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government to boost economic growth and tourism in the northern region.
Before the ceremony, VIP guests arrived on a Maldivian Airbus A320 aircraft, marking the first such landing at the new airport.
The terminal’s architecture draws inspiration from the Maldivian underwater environment. The building, shaped like a manta ray, features artwork reflecting the nation’s history and culture.
The Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) relocated all airport operations to the new terminal in October as part of the Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) process, ensuring compliance with Maldives Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA) standards ahead of the official opening.
The US$136.6 million Hanimaadhoo International Airport Development Project includes a 2,465-metre runway capable of accommodating Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, a new 42,000-square-metre apron, and a passenger terminal designed to handle up to 1.3 million travellers annually.
The airport is expected to support direct flights from the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Africa. A seaplane terminal will be developed in the second phase to improve access to resorts in the northern Maldives.
The project, funded through the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank), is intended to strengthen regional connectivity and promote tourism and trade across the Bodu Thiladhunmathi region.