Male’ Maldives, 19th October 2023 – During the inauguration of the Hotelier Maldives GM Forum, President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu expressed confidence in the timely completion of the new VIA terminal for the upcoming peak tourism season. He emphasized his hope for cooperation among the project’s contractors and investors to ensure its readiness. Originally awarded to Saudi Arabia’s Bin Laden Group in May 2016, the project faced delays for various reasons until the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) renewed the contract with the Bin Laden Group in June 2019.
In addition to this development, Muizzu revealed plans for expanding the country’s aviation sector, including the establishment of 13 new domestic airports and the creation of a seaplane hub in the southern region to enhance tourism opportunities in the Maldives. He also outlined support for tourism development and the facilitation of larger passenger aircraft to boost visitor numbers.
The new VIA terminal project, valued at USD 357 million, involves constructing a 78,000-square-meter terminal to increase the annual passenger capacity to 7 million arrivals, a significant improvement from the current capacity of 1.5 million.
