Maldives Airport Company Limited (MACL), which manages the Velana International Airport (VIA) located in Hulhule’, has refused to disclose the cost of a new department it created to manage security inhouse.
In June, MACL created the Estate Security Department, and inaugurated the Certificate III in Airport Security and Management course by the Aviation Institute Maldives to train people for the new department.
In response to an inquiry filed by Sun under the Right to Information Act, the MACL responded on Sunday that the purpose of creating the Estate Security Department is to manage the security of its growing list of facilities such as parking areas, jetties, taxi queues, the company’s assets and the safety and security of the larger Hulhule’.
The security at the VIA is managed by the Aviation Security Command, a unit run under the Defense Ministry, with assistance from the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the police.
According to MACL, the security at the airport is managed by the Aviation Security Command, the MNDF and the police, while the Estate Security Department manages the security of the company’s assets and of larger Hulhule’.
MACL’s Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed attends the inauguration of Certificate III in Airport Security and Management by the Aviation Institute Maldives on June 26, 2025. (Photo/MACL)
The Estate Security Department is headed by MACL’s Deputy Chief Officer Mohamed Husham. But the MACL declined to disclose any details regarding him citing personal privacy.
MACL said it did not incur any cost in creating the Estate Security Department, but the department incurs monthly expenses on:
Managing the company’s assets
Patrols
Security management
General employee-related costs
Training
But the company declined to disclose any numbers.
MACL, which employees some 3,000 people, generated a net profit of MVR 1.1 billion last year. Meanwhile, the company’s debt amounts to a staggering MVR 13 billion.
The loans taken out by MACL includes MVR 1.6 billion in debt owed to the Bank of Maldives (BML). This includes a USD 50 million loan taken out for corporate needs in December 2023. MACL also took out a USD 30 million loan in June 2024.
MACL’s managing director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed recently provided assurance that the company is “fully capable” of paying off its debts.