New Passenger Terminal Advances Seaplane Services at Velana Airport

Maldives Airports company limited (MACL) has embarked on the commencement of operational flow familiarisation training of seaplane check-in counters in the new Terminal 1, in preparation to fully operationalize seaplanes services in the new passenger terminal.
The training helped to test and verify the end-to-end passenger handling and the operation working process at the seaplane counters as stated by MACL. The trial aimed at facilitating the seamless coordination and efficiency during pre-full scale operations before full-scale operations. There were two airline operators who participated in the familiarisation exercise, Flyme and Maldivian.
The project indicates the fact that Maldives is the largest seaplanes operating destination in the world. In this regard, the new terminal will have 24-hour check-in counters that will have seaplanes travellers only, which will be more convenient and efficient in terms of the traffic flow.
The terminal, which opened on 26 July this year, is currently servicing 33 airlines and is one of the biggest advances in the aviation and tourism infrastructure in the country. The terminal is meant to accommodate up to 7.5 million passengers per year, with a total area of 72000 square metres.
The main characteristics are 12 passenger boarding bridges, 47 conventional check-in counter, six self-check-in kiosks, and a state-of-the-art baggage handling system with real-time tracking. These upgrades are meant to improve the efficiency, comfort, and working capacity.
The system trials and continuous training indicate the readiness and reliability aspect of MACL as the new terminal proceeds with its gradual rollout of operations, the operations of which is sustaining the increasing demands of Maldivian tourism and air travel.