Velana International Airport, the biggest airport in the Maldives, is currently undergoing a huge billion dollar extension. With the first phase of the project coming to an end soon, more details about the construction are being released.
Even though the Maldives only have a population of 550,000, the island nation welcomes millions of tourists every year and those numbers only continue to grow. Compared to 2023 alone, arrivals in 2024 are up by 10%. Welcoming those travellers as a nation standing on the frontline of climate crisis, however, has proven to be a difficult task over the years.
“The current terminal is built to service about 2,700 to 3,000 maximum. But we are servicing 12,000 passengers from a facility which is built to cater for 3,000. So when the new terminal comes out, the service levels will just jump”, Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, CEO and Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company, told Euronews.
A new chapter in the development of Air Travel in the Maldives – Introducing the visionary Masterplan for Airport Development and Economic Zone Project! pic.twitter.com/fi7xOcEZh9
— Velana Airport (@VelanaAirport) January 5, 2024
Rising sea levels and other natural forces have been threatening the nation for years. Already in 1985, the country’s president raised the issue with the UN. And in 2004, a tsunami hit the Maldives, killing 82 people and leaving behind a trail of destruction, including damage to Velana’s runway.
“The memory of the tsunami is that almost everyone felt the fear. So we are very cognizant of the fact that climate change is real and we try to incorporate energy efficient, renewable energy and other techniques in our buildings, even to the extent that our designs address negative climate impacts”, Mohamed said.
Thus, part of the 1 million dollar project is making the airport climate proof. The grounds will be fortified in order to prevent any collapses due to extreme weather conditions and, in two years’ time, around 90% of the airport’s energy should come from renewable sources – mainly solar power.
However, climate proofing isn’t the only improvement scheduled for the airport. The terminal will be able to welcome more travellers and a seaplane terminal is on the books. Currently, the airport has the capacity for around 72 seaplane flights an hour between 6 am and 6 pm, but smart lighting solutions should be able to extend those.
“We’ve begun discussions with several airport lighting companies from around the world on how we can install lights in the water in a safe and sustainable manner, so the seaplane runways can be lit at night”, Mohamed said.
Despite the fact that the Maldives are investing around 50% of their entire budget on climate change measures, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses the government of failing to implement their own environmental regulations. For example, for an airport on Kulhudhuffushi, 70% of the mangroves were “buried”.
