VIA Quarter 1 Figures Show Optimistic Growth

Velana International Airport, 20th April 2022 – Despite the challenges and restrictions, we had to endure due to the corona virus pandemic, the aviation sector of the Maldives continues to flourish at Velana International Airport (VIA).

The number of international passengers handled by VIA in quarter 1 has increased by 68% compared to 2021. While we crossed over 1M International passengers during the first quarter, this figure was little over 640,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2021.

The number of domestic passengers handled by VIA in quarter 1 has increased by 112% since last year. A total of 133,803 domestic passengers in 2021 was handled, while this figure was 179,330 domestic passengers in quarter 1 of this year.

The number of international passengers handled by VIA in quarter one of 2019 was 1,145,783 while the number of domestic passengers handled by VIA from that period was 328,704.

This year, the number of Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) had increased by 43% making it a total of 15,860 ATMs. VIA has had a total of 11,072 ATMS last year in the first quarter. In 2019, the total number of ATMs in the first quarter was 16,126.

Tourism is the largest sector of Maldives’ economy. As a result of multi-stakeholder effort Maldives has earned the World’s Leading Destination Award in 2021 and 2020 and advertised the country as a safe destination for all visitors.

The accelerated growth recorded in quarter 1 of 2022 compared to last year, is helping strong recovery of traffic numbers at the airport.