Singapore Airlines and SriLankan Airlines have officially commenced operations at the newly developed Terminal 1 of Velana International Airport (VIA), marking another milestone in the phased transition of airlines to the modern facility.

Singapore Airlines began operating from Terminal 1 on Tuesday, becoming the 32nd carrier to shift services to the terminal since its inauguration on July 26. The airline’s first flight to arrive at the terminal was an Airbus A350, marking the first time the aircraft type has been received at Terminal 1.

Flight SQ432 arrived with 244 passengers and was welcomed with traditional cultural performances.

A ceremony was held to commemorate the occasion, attended by senior officials from Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), including Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, along with Singapore Airlines’ General Manager Haaziq Sulaiman. Dhiraagu CEO and Managing Director Ismail Rasheed also graced the event.

Singapore Airlines’ check-in counters were officially opened during the ceremony, and gifts were presented to 205 departing passengers.

The airline has been serving the Maldives since March 28, 1984.

The transition continued on Wednesday with SriLankan Airlines becoming the 33rd airline to commence operations at Terminal 1.

The airline’s first flight to dock at the terminal, UL101, arrived with 277 passengers and was greeted with a cultural welcome.

A ceremony was held to formally open the airline’s check-in counters, during which gifts were presented to 115 departing passengers.

The event was attended by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mohamed Rizvi Hassan, SriLankan Airlines’ Country Manager Nayomi Tennakoon, and senior MACL officials.

MACL noted that SriLankan Airlines is the second carrier from Sri Lanka to operate from Terminal 1 and highlighted the airline’s long-standing service to the Maldives, which began on September 1, 1979.

The transition of both airlines underscores the growing momentum at Terminal 1, a state-of-the-art facility developed at a cost of USD 457 million (approximately MVR 7 billion).