Government has stated that the airport cannot be developed in Shaviyani Atoll Farukolhu island.
Farukolhu is an island granted to Araam Travels for 25 years to develop a regional airport under a lease agreement after Araam Travels scored the highest in the bid.
Araam Travels said that the development of a regional airport in the island is a dream of the people of Shaviyani Funadhoo and they have been working as per the agreement to fulfill this dream. However Araamu Travels stated that unfortunately the current government does not want this to happen.
“When the EIA report was submitted the government institution Environmental Protection Agency claimed that the airport should not be developed in the island. When the Ministry of Environment was requested to appeal the decision and review the EIA report the ministry also supported the decision of EPA. This was on 23 July 2014,” the company stated/.
Araam Travels stated that the decision of the EPA and the Ministry was based on a previous decision that the area was a environmentally sensitive area.
The company stated that the decision to develop an airport was made by the cabinet of the government and even then the area was recognized as an environmentally sensitive area therefore this decision cannot be accepted.
Meanwhile, the agreement was signed between the Government of Maldives and the local company, Araam Travels Pvt. Ltd. to develop a domestic airport in Shaviyani Atoll Farukolhu in June 2013. Araam Travels was the only party that submitted a bid for the project.
During the signing ceremony, Araam Travels said the company will be spending approximately US$4 million of its own funds to develop the airport.
The Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Adeeb, who also participated in the ceremony, said the new airport at Farukolhu will help to widen the tourism opportunities in the region. Minister Adeeb also said he believed that giving out an uninhabited island to subsidize airport development is the best model to develop domestic airports in the Maldives.
Govt says airport cannot be developed in Farukolhu
