President Mohamed Nasheed today attended the handing over ceremony of Male’ International Airport to GMR Male’ International Airport Limited (GMIAL). 

Speaking at the ceremony, President Nasheed said bringing economic progress to the country was one of the top priorities of his administration. He added that to achieve that goal as well as to further develop Maldives tourism industry, upgrading the international airport was a necessity. 

The government awarded the contract for building and operating the new airport yesterday to Malaysia Airports Holdings and GMR Group, after a competitive tendering process, overseen by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. Malaysia Airports Holdings and GMR Group will invest over US$400 million in the new airport, which is due to be completed in 2014. 

Malaysia Airports Holdings operate 59 airports, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which many aviation experts consider to be one of the best airports in the world. 

Malaysia Airports Holdings has worked with India’s GMR Group for over seven years. The two firms designed, built and now manage Hyderabad’s new international airport. Malaysia Airports Holdings and GMR Group also manage Istanbul International Airport and next month will unveil Delhi’s new international airport. 

The new airport is expected to create jobs, bring in new investments for the country, improve services for passengers and allow tourism to expand. The new airport will also allow for more flights, reduce overcrowding and speed up airport check in.