VIA’s New Runway And Noovilu Seaplane Terminal Officially Inaugurates
Saturday 8th of October 2022
On Thursday, the newly developed Code F runway and Noovilu Seaplane Terminal of Velana International Airport was officially inaugurated by Vice President of the Maldives, H.E Faisal Naseem. During the morning hours of last Thursday, the official commencing of operations was marked by welcoming the arrival of an Emirates B777 class commercial aircraft, which landed on the new runway at 0715 hrs. The maiden voyage of the flight was celebrated with a water salute given to the aircraft.
The Noovilu Seaplane Terminal also commenced officially on Thursday. The ultra-modern terminal was inaugurated by Vice President Faisal Naseem, Chairman of Maldives Airports Company Limited, Mr. Mohamed Umar Manik and the Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, H.E Wang Lixin. The two ceremonies held at VIA were graced by other notable Government Ministries and high-profile dignitaries.
During his address, the Vice President remarked that VIA serves as the main gateway to the Maldivian economy, an economy heavily relied on transport and tourism. Therefore, the opening of the new runway would positively impact the Maldivian economy. He further noted that VIA is being developed in line with the airport master plan and is equivalent to constructing a new airport within an airport. He added that despite that, VIA continues to provide airport services even during the airport’s construction.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of MACL, Mohamed Umar Manik commented that the new runway will be in use for a long period and has been equipped with modern drainage systems. Additionally, he stated that the Noovilu seaplane terminal also features top-notch services within a state-of-the-art infrastructure.
On the occasion, CEO & MD of MACL, Mahjobb Shujau said that the new runway will cater for the largest passenger airlines in the world and this is the first time in the airport’s history that the runway and taxiway will be utilized together. The Chinese Ambassador also expressed her pleasure to have the opportunity to assist the development of the airport by the Chinese Government. In this regard she stated that China’s Beijing Urban Construction group has successfully completed the new runway and is conducting other development projects at VIA as well.
The 3.4km long and 65m wide, new Code F runway will increase the number of flights landing and departing VIA to 21 per hour with a clearing time of 3 minutes per flight. Moreover, Noovilu Terminal is home to the World’s largest seaplane operations and can accommodate over 100 seaplanes concurrently.
