AIRPORT REVIEW experience at Velana International Airport , elevating it to the level of the deluxe resorts where they spend their holidays on the islands .
The queues outside the check-in area , where temperatures can easily surpass 90 ° F ( 32 ° C ) during the hottest hours of the day , will no longer exist . “ We ’ ll have the VHS baggage system at the check-in desks , where it will be possible to execute two operations at the same time , resulting in a much quicker and stressfree experience for travelers ,” said Mohamed . “ We ’ ll also have self-check-in kiosks and bag drop machines .”
10
The facility will feature eight jet bridges , saving a lot of bus rides to and from parked aircraft . The interiors will be organized on three levels , the check-in hall placed on the ground floor and retail / dining facilities , airline lounges and departure gates one floor up . Passengers deplaning through one of the jet bridges will proceed using elevators and escalators to a long corridor on the top level , before going down to a section of the ground level dedicated to baggage retrieval .
“ Everything will be new and bigger , compared to the existing building ,” said the CEO . “ The overall terminal surface will be three times larger , the shopping and dining area three times larger , and the baggage carousels twice the length of those we have in the existing terminal .”
11
The capacity of the new infrastructure will be 7.5 million passengers per year , some 50 % more than the 5 million expected in 2024 . That may seem like a narrow margin for future growth , but Mohamed said , “ The building has space to grow on both of its sides , to the north and the south , if and when required .”
Last winter ( high tourist season in the Maldives ), a total of 37 foreign airlines were flying to some 40 destinations in Europe , the former states of the old Soviet Union , the Middle East , and Far East Asia . Home carriers included Maldivian Airlines ( Q2 ) and Manta Air ( NR ), operating mainly to the islands ’ secondary airports , and BeOnd ( B4 ), the Maldivian all-business airline flying to Europe , Saudi Arabia , and Dubai .
12
The last two years ( post-COVID ) saw a 6 % traffic growth , with February being the busiest month ever , with over 200,000 passengers .
22 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE JULY 2024 www . airwaysmag . com