Test flights are expected to land at the new tarmac of Velana International Airport (VIA) on September 2018 according to an official from Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).
Though scheduled for the month of September it is still uncertain as to the exact date of test flight landings.
The international airport's managing MACL confirmed the new runway will see completion by August. Currently some final touches to the runway's structure are being made while the tarmac has been completed.
The runway development is carried by China's Beijing Urban Development Corporation (BUCG) for a project cost of USD400 million.
The new runway stretches 3,400 meters long and 60 meters wide with a tarmac thickness of 200 millimeter
As part of a major development project at VIA the new runway aims to ease the plane traffic that at times get overwhelming due to the presence of just a single tarmac. The new runway is also constructed with the latest design technology and would be able to withstand the pressure of heavy-duty airliners like the Airbus A360.
The presence of two tarmacs would exponentially increase the flight movements, and is expected to speed up the traffic by 30 minutes.
