President Mohamed Muizzu has said the inauguration of Hanimaadhoo International Airport is the gateway to development in all the northernmost atolls.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony last night (October 9), Muizzu said the airport is more than just an infrastructure building.
"It is not the infrastructure of an airport that is being opened today. It is the gateway to development of all the people of this atoll and this region," he said.
Muizzu added that the airport is one of the most important tools to make the integrated development policy of the north a reality.
“The door that is opening today will pave the way for tourism, fisheries, agriculture and overall economic growth, social growth and development in this atoll and the region,” he said.
The airport was inaugurated, although some work remains incomplete. A special envoy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony.
The Foreign Ministry said Indian Civil Aviation Union Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu was welcomed by Foreign Minister Abdullah Khaleel.
The airport project, financed by India’s Exim Bank, costs USD 136.6 million. The airport has a runway of 2.46 km and can handle 1.3 million passengers annually.
The government first said the airport would be inaugurated in September, but postponed the inauguration to November.
Although the airport has been inaugurated, sources told Adhadhu that the work will be completed by March 2026 as initially planned.
