Gan Airport’s 51% cannot be privatized for 100 Ruffiya- Dr. Shamheed

Transport Minister Dr. Shamheed has said that 51% of the Gan International Airport cannot be privatized for 100 Ruffiya.

Speaking to Miadhu Daily, Dr. Shamheed said that the Gan International Airport is even currently worth an investment of 200 million US dollars and 51 percent of 200 million US dollars can be leased for only 6 million dollars. He said that the Ministry will never agree with such an agreement.

Minister Dr. Shamheed said that even if 51 percent of the airport is leased to a Maldivian there is a possibility that he might lease it to a Jew. He said that the airport cannot be privatized and leased such irresponsibly. He said that the people and the state will also face the consequences of it if such an agreement is made.

The Minister said that he is opposition the matter for the sake of the people. He said that if the Gan airport is leased like this then it will be much more harmful then the lease of Male’ international airport to GMR by the former government.

In view of the GMR issue, Dr. Shamheed said that the GMR now has agreed to build a second runway and if the runway is to be built then the locations of the operations of sea planes should be changed. He said that the Ministry is working on the matter of building a second runway.