Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has stated the new runway of Velana International Airport (VIA) will be able to accommodate 21 flights in an hour.
General Manager of Corporate Affairs Hassan Areef said the current runway has an eight-flight capacity while the new runway’s capacity will be 21 flights. He said it means that flights will be able to make it to the apron within three minutes, which is an 80% improvement compared to the current 15 minutes. He added the current runway will be used as a taxiway after the new runway is operational.
MACL is transferring all operations from the old runway to open the new runway on October 6. As such, the runway will be closed on October 5 from 2300hrs to 0700hrs the next day. Vice President Faisal Naseem is scheduled to inaugurate the new runway while an Emirates airline flight will be the first plane to officially make its landing.
The new VIA runway is 3,400m long and 65m wide and can accommodate the largest commercial airplanes currently in use, such as the wide-bodied passenger aircraft. The runway was developed by China based-Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) at a cost of USD400 million.
