First Phase of Taxiway Charlie Redevelopment Completed at Velana International Airport

The first phase of the Taxiway Charlie redevelopment project at Velana International Airport (VIA) has been completed and officially handed over to the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).

MACL announced the milestone in a statement, describing it as a significant step in the airport’s ongoing infrastructure modernisation efforts.

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The Phase 1 of the Taxiway Charlie Rebuild Project at @VelanaAirport has been completed and officially handed over to MACL by Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG).
At a ceremony held today, our DMD, Mujthaba Latheef, presented the Phase 1 of the project completion certificate… pic.twitter.com/zS5Xb3zHRv— Maldives Airports Company Ltd (@MACLmedia) August 21, 2025

The handover ceremony was attended by MACL Chairperson Ayesha Nurain Janah, members of the MACL Board and Executive Committee, Zhang Fenglin representing BUCG International—the contractor for the project—Fathimath Ramiza, Director at the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority, and Ibrahim Thoha, Managing Director of the Maldives National Air Traffic Services (MNATS).

MACL stated that the development of Taxiway Charlie represents a major improvement in airport capacity and efficiency, and noted that the upgraded infrastructure will benefit all airlines operating at VIA.

The redevelopment project involves rebuilding and modernising the original runway at Velana International Airport, which was constructed in 1981 to handle wide-body aircraft and served as VIA’s main runway before the current one was developed.

Following damage sustained during the 2004 tsunami, the runway underwent multiple repairs and extensions and was later re-designated as Taxiway Charlie to support the airport’s growing traffic needs.

The current redevelopment aims to convert the 3,200-metre stretch into a modern parallel taxiway, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing runway occupancy time. The project began under the name “Taxiway Charlie Rebuild.”

Although the first phase was initially scheduled for completion by mid-2022, progress was delayed, with the milestone now officially achieved.