Ibrahim Nasir International Airport
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Malé International Airport ( IATA: MLE, ICAO code: VRMM ) is adjacent to the Gan Airport is the only airport, which is currently served internationally in the Maldives. It is located on the island Hulhulé, which is connected by ferry to the nearby Maldivian capital Malé. Northeastern end is the largely man-made island Hulhumalé connected with Hulhulé over a navigable dam of approximately 1.6 km in length.
The airport, like all airports in the Maldives from Maldives Airports Company Ltd.. ( MACL ) operated under the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
History
The first runway, which was taken in the Maldives in operation, was a runway made of sheet metal plug. It was built as an airfield still in the period of the British Protectorate in the middle of the uninhabited and densely vegetated island Hulhulé and had the dimensions 23 × 914 feet (75 × 3000 feet). On October 19, 1960 at 13:55 clock for the first time a plane landed - a cargo plane of the New Zealand Air Force - on the new airfield.
On April 27, 1964, the government decided in the Maldives, the old runway to be replaced by a new improved airfield. In May 1964, the mobilization of the population of Malé for the construction of a paved runway by the then Interior Minister Vuzaarathul Dhaakhiliyya began. Thus was started on May 1, 1964 by 108 volunteers to remove the old steel plates. The construction works were characterized by a sort of competition of the four districts of Malé, the district " Henveiru " first won the award in the amount of 1000 Rufiyaa.
The runway was grown with completion of construction work on 45 × 2840 m and the airport was given the official name Hulhule Airport. The then Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir opened the new airport on April 12, 1966.
Expansion and reopening
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development commissioned in 1976 a study on the expansion of the airport. In the same year the German company Kocks Consult GmbH and Frankfurt Airports Group (now Fraport AG) was commissioned to plan the construction of the airport. The basis of the planning was a feasibility study by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) from the same year.
The expansion of the airport was sponsored and funded by Development Fund of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, OPEC, the governments of Great Britain and Australia, the United Nations and ICAO.
On March 29, 1978, concluded with the International Airports Authority of India ( IAAI ) a first agreement to expand the airport. The agreement ended the construction of buildings and fuel tanks with a. The foundation stone for the construction of the terminal building took place on September 29, 1978 by the then President Ibrahim Nasir.
In a second agreement was concluded with the German company Standard Elektrik Lorenz (SEL, now Alcatel -Lucent Germany AG) on September 30, 1978, a contract for the supply and installation of telecommunications and navigation equipment of the airport.
The airport was reopened after extensive expansions, by the then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on 11 November 1981. With the reopening of the name was officially changed from Hulhule Airport in Malé International Airport and first put a tower in operation. The airstrip is now at 3200 m almost as long as the island itself Since then, large machines from around Europe can land here, had to make before a " detour" via Colombo ( Sri Lanka). The first aircraft to officially landed on the new runway was a DC - 10th It was a charter flight of the Condor, which came directly from Germany.
On 7 September 1994 the foundation stone was laid for the new passenger terminal was. With construction of the new terminal, the handling capacity was increased from 350 to 1,000 passengers per hour. The opening took place on 12 May 1996.
Maldives Airports Company Ltd. , Previously managed as Maldives Airports Authority, leased for 50 years the island Hulhulé and they. Surrounding lagoon for the expansion and operation of the airport The lease agreement was signed by Finance Minister Mohamed Jaleel Ibrahim and Mohamed, the Managing Director of MACL on 14 August 2000.
By embankment of sand and backfill 2000 Country was created to the Hulhulé Iceland to build hotel in the year. The hotel is a joint venture of the MACL and Maldives In-flight catering. The 88-room hotel opened on 14 August 2000. In the years 2000 and 2001 a new area on the east side of Hulhulé was created for the owner of the seaplane fleets. In the immediate vicinity of the seaplane bases later the new tower of the airport was built.
On 21 December 2006, the new domestic terminal connections, mainly to Gan, but was also to Hanimaadhoo, Kaadedhdhoo and Kadhdhoo opened. Domestic flights are mainly operated by Maldivian.
Mohamed Amir is now CEO of the MACL. The airport is certified according to ISO 9001.
Airlines and destinations
For German-speaking countries, there are 2013 following direct links: Condor from Frankfurt, Edelweiss Air from Zurich and Austrian Airlines from Vienna.
Since the cooperation between Air Berlin and Etihad, Air Berlin offers no direct flights to Malé more, but only indirect flight ( codeshare ) via Abu Dhabi.
From almost all German airports exist meaningful alternative variants with one change in Colombo ( Etihad, SriLankan ), Muscat (Oman Air), Doha ( Qatar Airways ), Dubai (Emirates ), Istanbul Ataturk ( Turkish Airlines ) or Moscow - Sheremetyevo ( Aeroflot ).
Others
The tourists who land on Hulhulé to reach the other islands either by boat or seaplane to the Maldivian Air Taxi or Trans Maldivian Airways.
On the west side of the airport island, at the height of the southern first-quarter start and runway, lies the wreck of the Maldive Victory. She sits upright, with the bow to the north, parallel to the reef in 35 m depth on sandy ground.
On the neighboring island Hulhumalé are some utilities for the airport.
Further development of the airport
Between the islands Hulhulé with the Malé International Airport and Hulhumalé is an extension of the area of the airport by land reclamation planning. The " airport island " would be increased to 305 acres. With the enlargement of the airport island, however, would have the terminals of the seaplane companies are added.
Gallery
Hulhumalé, the artificial neighboring island ( on approach to the airport)
Seaplanes at the base of Malé International Airport
Seaplane TMA at the base, in the background, construction of the new tower