Velana International Airport (VIA) runway has been closed off, suspending all flights.
Highrise’s founder Ismail Hameed first tweeted on the issue.
Hameed, traveling from Sri Lanka to Maldives, tweeted that the captain of Sri Lankan Airline Flight UL109 had announced that “Maldives Airports has suspended all flights”. He noted that this was announced after keeping them onboard for over an hour.
After being onboard for over 1 1/2 hours on UL109 (CMB/MLE) , Capt announces that Maldives Airport has suspended all flights. pic.twitter.com/YEwqLLT9r6
— Ismail Hameed (@highriseissey) February 25, 2018
He further noted that the flight had been “full” and that the captain had told them that he “has no control as the Maldivian authorities has not allowed them to fly in”.
I’m not sure why the captain announced that Maldives Airport has suspended the flight coming in? As he never mentioned the issue. But definitely it’s a full flight and he said he has no control at the Maldivian Authorities has not allowed them flying in. Is this true @MACLmedia ?
— Ismail Hameed (@highriseissey) February 25, 2018
Speaking to RaajjeTV, Hameed said that all passengers on the flight, including locals and tourists, were “frustrated” over the matter.
An official from Velana International Airport told RaajjeMV that the runway is closed from 12 am to 6 am every night, adding that this has been the protocol for the past two years. He said that the reason for closing off the runway at that time "for some maintenance work".
