On February 19th 2022, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has announced Velana International Airport (VIA) has set a new Air Traffic Movement Record.
There were 210 runway ATMs and 629 seaplane ATMs recorded with total of 839 ATMs. This is an increase of 13 ATMs compared to the previous record of 826 ATM’s on 2nd January 2022.
As per the statistics, an increment of 73% was seen in arrival numbers in January 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. A similar change was seen in the Air Traffic Movements with an increase of 42% recorded compared to the same period last year. However, a 2% percent decrease in cargo transport was noted for January 2022 in comparison to the same period last year.
VIA is the main international airport in the Maldives and serves as the main gateway for visitors to the country. MACL also recently introduced the first Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower Simulator in the Maldives to solve the issue of the lack of skilled individuals in the aviation sector. The company is currently operating ATC officers in 17 airports in the Maldives.
For the year 2022, the Maldives has set a target of 2 million tourist arrivals. The new record indicates a successful year for the Maldives in this Golden Year of Tourism.
