Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) is highly qualified to operate the new seaplane terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA), asserts Minister of Economic Development, Fayyaz Ismail.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, the minister stated that the development and operations of VIA was taken from GMR Group and handed over to MACL because the company is competent enough to take on the responsibility.

Further, he went on to write that MACL is more than capable of running a “small” seaplane terminal, having expressed his full confidence that MACL will carry out the operations efficiently.

The minister declared that the agreements signed, will be followed through.

This comes at a time the Public Accounts Committee of the People’s Majlis passed to seek out a special audit at the Audit Office following allegations of plans to lease the terminal to a particular party at an unfair rate. This was decided by the committee during August.

Dhaandhoo MP Yauqoob Abdulla submitted a report to the committee following reports that MACL was holding deliberations to lease the terminal to Trans Maldivian Airways.

It is believed that the leasing of the terminal to TMA is expected to bring about negative impacts on the state income.

While MACL earlier revealed that the new seaplane terminal will be completed later this year, a total of 18,000 square meters of land has been reclaimed for the project, which is being developed by one of China’s renowned construction companies, Beijing Urban Construction Group for a total of USD 40 million.

The new terminal will add more than 80 seaplane docking platforms and increase the floor area, lounge, and boarding gate by 50%. Further, the installment of escalators inside the terminal was completed earlier this year along with installation of air conditioning and to plant electrical wiring and plumbing.

While Maldives has the largest seaplane fleet across the globe, the new terminal measures three times bigger than the current seaplane terminal. The new terminal measures 28,000 square meters.

The current seaplane terminal provides service for up to 2,000 travelers a day and has over 60 operating sea planes.