President-elect Dr Mohamed Waheed has said that 54% of the work currently assigned to the main airport in the Maldives has been completed and the work assigned to it should be expedited and completed by October next year.

Speaking to reporters at the airport after reviewing the progress of the VIA terminal, the President-elect Dr. Muizzu said that under his government, the work on the VIA terminal would be the priority project. Muizzu said the Velana International Airport was the main gateway to the Maldives’ economy.

Early completion of the project will be an economic activity that will be our priority in the government. That’s why I’m here to see.

– Dr. Muizzu said.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Muizzu said he wanted the work to be completed by October 2024. It was an eight-month rush, Muizzu said.

The information I know is that the work assigned to the Saudi bin Laden group, which they say about 54% of their scope has been completed, there are signs of it. In their scope, the project has to be completed by mid-2025.

Muizzu said the terminal needs to speed up the pace of work.

Muizzi added that there are works that are not part of the bin Laden group’s scope as part of the Velana International Airport development project.

He added that in order to use the place, these works should also be completed. One of the two works muizzu mentioned was the construction of the road. Muizzu said the road takes about 10 months to build and the road will not be completed by the time the airport terminal is completed unless it is handed over to the people immediately.