AIRPORT REVIEW The New MLE
For as many as four years , the new runway had to be used as a taxiway , as the proximity of the old Tran Maldivian seaplane terminal did not meet ICAO ’ s safety standards . When the seaplane terminal was demolished ( replaced by a brand-new one a few hundred yards to the east ) in October 2022 , the new runway started to be used for take-offs and landings . That signified a cut in the average utilization time per aircraft to 3 to 5 minutes from the previous 8 to 10 , hugely increasing the hourly capacity of the airport . But this has put even more pressure on the terminal infrastructure , both on the arrivals and departures sides . At peak hours , long queues are common outside the check-in area , with people waiting for baggage inspection . There are long lines , too , at immigration and in the small-baggage retrieval area .
The foundation work for the new passenger terminal was completed as of December 2019 , and MACL eyed the opening of the facility within 2022 . But , in Spring 2020 , the COVID-19 pandemic erupted . And , “ although the Maldives , 8
as a country , remained closed for just three months , we were hit severely by the fact that China remained in lockdown for as long as two years , reflecting in huge issues in the supply chain ,” Mohamed explained .
In fact , while the contract to build the terminal was signed with the Saudi Bin Laden Group ( because most of the construction money was coming from Saudi Arabia ), the work was subcontracted to the Beijing Urban Construction Group ( the same company that had built the new runway ), which relied heavily on materials coming from China .
FROM DULL TO DELUXE
When Airways took a tour inside the facility , at the beginning of March , the landside and airside facades of the building , including the installation of three jet bridges , were almost completed . The interiors were still in progress and , honestly , quite far from finished .
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When opened , the new terminal will revolutionize the passengers ’
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