All domestic flights at Velana International Airport (VIA) will operate from the former international terminal starting Tuesday, Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL) announced on Monday.
The state-owned airport operator said Terminal 2 has been fully renovated and reconfigured to handle domestic operations. The move follows the opening of the airport’s new international terminal in July last year.
The transition will be marked by an inauguration ceremony attended by Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef on Tuesday, MACL said.
The change comes months after President Mohamed Muizzu opened the new international passenger terminal on 26 July 2025, during events marking the Maldives’ 60th anniversary of independence.
The 72,000-square-metre terminal, built at a cost of more than $457 million, has the capacity to handle 7.2 million passengers a year. The facility includes 12 aerobridges and an automated baggage handling system, both firsts for the country.
Construction began in May 2016 under the administration of former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom as part of a wider airport expansion project. Work stalled after piling was completed and resumed in 2019 under former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih with a revised design.
VIA currently handles 34 airlines. MACL projects revenue growth of 7 to 8 per cent in the first year of the new terminal’s operations and 15 per cent in the second year, driven by expanded duty-free services and increased airline capacity during peak hours.