India to develop Hanimaadhoo International Airport in Maldives; MoU signed-

It is the first ever major infrastructure project to be undertaken outside Greater Male region and is funded under the USD 800 million concessional Line of Credit (LoC) extended by the Government of India to the Maldives.

NewsBharati    27-Sep-2022 12:04:05 PM
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New Delhi, Sept 27: In a major development, Maldives Hanimaadhoo International Airport Development Project was signed between Government of Maldives and JMC Projects (India) on Sunday. It is the first ever major infrastructure project to be undertaken outside Greater Male region and is funded under the USD 800 million concessional Line of Credit (LoC) extended by the Government of India to the Maldives. The total contract value is approximately USD 136 million.
 
India to develop Hanimaadhoo International Airport in Maldives
 
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Maldives government by Managing Director of Regional Airports, Mohammed Rizvi, at a ceremony held Sunday night. JMC's Vice President, KS Reddy, signed the agreement on behalf of the company.
 
Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar, in his remarks at the event, stated that "This project is symbolic of the commitment of Govt of India to work together with the Govt of Maldives supporting its initiatives for regional infrastructure development."
 
 
The Hanimaadhoo airport development project will include a 2.46 km runway and a brand new terminal with the capacity to cater to 1.3 million passengers per annum. Other facilities needed to expand international flight services will also be established under the project. The project is scheduled to kick off later this year and will be completed in 2024.
 
Once completed, the airport will be able to serve Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft for international flights. Direct flights to the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa will be operated to Hanimaadhoo, the Economic Ministry has said.
 
The development of Hanimaadhoo International Airport is a presidential pledge. The government first tried to develop the airport on a contractor finance basis. However, the government shifted the project to an Indian loan to speed up the work after it failed to find self-financed contractors.