MACL- Successful 54 Years of Flights

Sunday 12th of April 2020

MACL- Successful 54 Years of Flights

Maldives Airports Company Limited celebrates 54 successful years of Velana International airport, the leading gateway of Maldives. Within these 54 years, the airport has seen drastic infrastructural improvements and changes.

The story dates back to 1960, when the first aircraft, a Royal New Zealand Air force Transport Plane, landed on the slotted steel runway on the Hulhule Island. In 1964, 2 years after the first commercial plane landing, the Maldives government decided to replace the slotted steel runway with an improved asphalt runway, the new asphalt runway had a dimension of 45 x 2840 meters.

On 12th April 1966, an office named “Hulhule Airport” was duly opened and the airport was officially opened by the former Prime Minister his Excellency Mr. Ibrahim Nasir. After tourism started in the late 1970’s, the airport needed expansion to cater for arrivals. On 11th November 1981, with an improved infrastructure, Male International Airport was officially opened by the former president Mr. Maumoom Abdul Gayyoom.

Maldives Airports Company Limited is a 100% government owned limited liability company incorporated under the Companies Act of the Republic of Maldives. MACL is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the President of the Maldives. The Corporate Office of MACL is on the island of Hulhule', Republic of Maldives.