Minister of Construction, Housing, and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muthalib has announced that the Hanimaadhoo International Airport development project is progressing steadily, with overall completion now at 88.7 percent.

The airport is expected to be operational by September 2025, as scheduled.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Minister Muthalib stated that the runway construction is fully complete, while significant progress has been made in other key components of the project.

The passenger terminal has reached 83 percent completion, and the air traffic control tower, hangar, and cargo building are 96 percent complete.

The airport is part of a broader infrastructure initiative financed under a USD 800 million Line of Credit extended by the Export-Import Bank of India, of which USD 136 million (MVR 2 billion) has been allocated specifically for the Hanimaadhoo Airport project.

The contract for the airport’s development was awarded in September 2022 to Kalpataru Projects International Limited, formerly known as GMC, an Indian engineering and infrastructure firm.

Once completed, Hanimaadhoo International Airport will feature:

A 2.7-kilometre runway

A passenger terminal with an annual capacity of 1.3 million passengers

An air traffic control tower, cargo facility, hangar, and fuel farm

The upgraded airport will be capable of handling large aircraft, including Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s, significantly enhancing air connectivity for northern Maldives.