An international test flight has successfully landed on the newly developed runway of Maafaru International Airport (MIA) which was officially opened on the 28th of August. The flight which completed the test flight is an Airbus A320 operated by Emirates Airlines.

The first flight to land at Maafaru Airport was a Dash-8, operated by the national carrier, Maldivian. Tourism Minister Moosa Zameer along with parliament members of Noonu Atoll arrived at N. Maafaru in the test flight which took 25-minutes.

Maafaru Airport has been designed with an airport terminal, an air traffic control tower, a transit hotel. While all the latest technology will be available at the airport, six jets can be operated at the same time.

The project which was granted with USD 60 million from the UAE fund was developed with the aim of catering to the largest commercial aircraft in operation, including Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft. 

The opening of the international airport at N. Maafaru is deemed as an advantage for the whole Maldivian economy as well as for N. Atoll. In addition, this is a door opened to increase the guesthouses, and increase dollar earnings for locals.