Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed has declared the Hanimaadhoo International Airport (HIA) as a national asset that will drive prosperity in the north, not a “bracelet made to sell.”
Speaking at the official inauguration of the redeveloped airport on Sunday evening, Shareef described the project as an “economic beacon illuminating the Upper North,” and a long-awaited dream realized for the people of Boduthiladhummathi.
“This is not just an airport, it is a doorway to the future,” he said. “With the help of Allah, 1.5 million tourists will enter the Maldives every 365 days through this airport developed with innovative thinking and state-of-the-art facilities.”
Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Hanimaadhoo International Airport, Novemebr 9, 2025. (Photo/MACL)
Shareef emphasized that the airport would generate thousands of jobs and significantly boost foreign currency inflows, benefiting not just the north but the entire country. “The people of this region will be happy to see large aircraft landing here. These are not bracelets we crafted to sell. With these gems, we will build a much happier Boduthiladhummathi,” he said.
He also credited President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu for accelerating the project’s completion. “When this government took office, only about 30 percent of the work was done. The passenger terminal, cargo terminal, jetty, fire station, and power plant were all incomplete,” Shareef noted. “Thanks to the President’s leadership, these were completed in a short time.”
Final preparations underway for the opening of the redeveloped Hanimaadhoo International Airport (HIA), inaugurated November 9, 2025. (Photo/MACL)
His remarks come amid renewed political debate over airport ownership. Former President Mohamed Nasheed recently suggested that selling a stake in Velana International Airport (VIA) could help repay the Maldives’ USD 1.1 billion debt, including proceeds from a sukuk issuance. In July, former President Abdulla Yameen accused the government of planning to sell Hanimaadhoo Airport to India’s Adani Group, a claim the government has denied.
The newly inaugurated Hanimaadhoo International Airport features a 2,465-metre runway capable of handling all narrow-body aircraft, including Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. The President and First Lady arrived at the ceremony aboard an A320, the largest aircraft to land at the airport to date.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed arrives at the inauguration ceremony of the Hanimaadhoo International Airport (HIA) on November 9, 2025: The President and First Lady arrived at the ceremony aboard an A320, the largest aircraft to land at the airport to date. (Photo/MACL)
The terminal spans over 10,300 square meters and is designed to serve up to 1.3 million passengers annually. Additional facilities include a fuel farm, cargo terminal, air traffic control tower, and art installations by Maldivian artists. The airport also features the Maldives’ first aerobridge at an atoll airport, along with ATM and dollar counter services to support international travellers.