Maldives Inaugurates New International Runway


Maldives
PUBLISHED September 19, 2018

Etihad Airways A380 jet which landed last Tuesday as the initial flight of newly developed runway at Velana International Airport has made history in the Maldives by being the first ever landing of the worlds largest passenger airliner in the island nation.

The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by European manufacturer Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner, and it can accommodate a total of 700 people onboard.

The A380 from Abu Dhabi was carrying the Maldives national football team who was crowned at the recent SAFF Suzuki Cup and was piloted by Ali Ahsan, one of the few Maldivian pilots working in an international airline.

The official permission for the A380 to land was granted by President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom who attended a special ceremony to welcome the team, which beat India to become the champions of South Asian football. The A380 jet made a successful landing at the new code-F runway around 4 pm after a show flight around Maldives capital Male at an altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 feet.

The historic flight was greeted with a water salute, followed by a para-jumping session by the armed forces and a joint airshow by flagship carrier Maldivian and worlds largest seaplane operator Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA).

The new runway was developed by China's Beijing Urban Development Corporation (BUCG) for a project cost of USD400 million.

As part of a major development project at VIA, the new runway aims to ease the plane traffic that at times get overwhelming due to the presence of just a single tarmac. The new runway is also constructed with the latest design technology and would be able to withstand the pressure of heavy-duty airliners like the Airbus A360.

The presence of two tarmacs would exponentially increase the flight movements and is expected to speed up the traffic by 30 minutes.

Maldives Airports Company is the operator of Velana International Airport and has been massively involved in destination marketing and bringing in new airlines to the Maldives to boost up the tourism industry. 

MACL has embarked on one of the biggest projects in the history of Maldives in developing the future Velana International Airport such as the development of a brand new international passenger terminal, a new code F runway, a new cargo terminal complex and a new fuel farm along with hydrant system and major infrastructure developments at Velana internationals Airport.
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