The booming noise heard over the capital Malé City on Tuesday afternoon was the sound of five Italian military aircrafts arriving at Velana International Airport (VIA), confirms the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

A booming noise was heard across the capital region at around 03:15pm on Tuesday. This was from several Italian Air Force military aircrafts arriving for a transit stop at VIA.

MNDF revealed that the fleet of four Italy Air Force military aircrafts landed at Velana International Airport (VIA) after obtaining permission to refuel and for logistical purposes.

Aviators Maldives took to social media platform ‘X’ to reveal that these aircrafts had transited twice at VIA, earlier in 2023.