Ameen: Hanimaadhoo Airport built only for narrow body operations, redevelopment needed for wide body jets

The Hanimaadhoo International Airport, which was initiated under the previous administration and inaugurated by the current government, is not developed to accommodate the largest long‑haul aircraft, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Ameen said on Tuesday.

The minister was responding to a question by Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa during Tuesday’s sitting of Parliament.

Highlighting the limitations at Hanimaadhoo Airport, Minister Ameen said the facility would need redevelopment if it is to operate wide‑body or large aircraft.

“There is that limitation. So we have to think differently. Or we have to go for redevelopment if we want to operate wide‑body aircraft from the airport,” he said.

The development of Hanimaadhoo Airport was launched in January 2023 under a line of credit from India’s Exim Bank, at a cost of USD 136 million.

The 2.46‑kilometre runway is capable of serving narrow‑body aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.

The minister noted that large aircraft such as the Airbus A330, A340 or Boeing 777 from distant destinations like China cannot land at Hanimaadhoo Airport. Therefore, with the current design, it is not possible to start direct flights on larger aircraft from destinations such as China or Colombo, he said.

The new two‑storey terminal at Hanimaadhoo Airport has a capacity of 1.3 million passengers per year. It features check-in counters, duty‑free shops and a cargo terminal.

However, the minister repeatedly stressed that the airport was designed and opened to serve only small aircraft.

Before the modernization of Hanimaadhoo Airport, built 39 years ago, only ATR and Dash‑8 aircraft could land due to the short runway. The airport was later reopened with modern facilities.