President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has revealed that the new terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA) will not be fully completed in time for its scheduled opening on July 26.

Speaking on the ‘Rayyithunnaa Eku’ podcast, Muizzu stated that on July 26, only some portions of the terminal will be unveiled. He added that the entire terminal is expected to be completed within approximately two months, by September.

Muizzu acknowledged that significant work remains to be done on the terminal.

However, the former administration’s Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer pointed out that when the government changed on 17 November 2023, the majority of the construction, excluding the baggage handling system, had already been completed. Ameer also noted that the contract for the baggage handling system had been awarded by the previous administration.

Ameer highlighted that 71 percent of all important work had been completed when the government changed.

Earlier, Muizzu had said that the new terminal would open in October 2024. However, the new airport terminal is opening according to the timeline that was in place when the government changed.