The Kulhudhuffushi airport opened last year was a ‘publicity stunt’ to gain political capital for former president Abdulla Yameen’s re-election bid, the Haa Dhaal atoll council has said.
Ahmed Athif, a member of the atoll's local government council, spoke to RaajjeTV on Thursday and said that the project was initiated for the sole purpose of acquiring votes, and that the airport - four months after opening - is still inactive.
In September, national airline Maldivian landed the first test flight on the airport runway, which Athif said was the only time the runway has been used to land an aircraft.
President Yameen, during the event to officially open the airport, received applause from ministers of his cabinet when he said that the project was delayed due to ‘insubordination’ of the atoll and island councils.
Athif said that the council has always been supportive of initiatives that could benefit the atoll and its islands, describing Yameen’s claim as ‘nothing but slander’, aimed at appeasing the people. Athif said his loss at the ballot box in last year’s elections was proof that the ‘stunt did not work’.
The project was an especially controversial one as up to nine hectares off the island’s mangrove, rare in the Maldives, had to be reclaimed to make room for the airport; six hectares from the island’s lagoon had also been reclaimed.
An Environmental Impact Assessment of the project revealed warned of long-term and irreversible destruction, although it continued despite heavy protest.
