Kaadedhdhoo Airport to be handed over to Villa Air in Feb

Transport Ministry states that the Kaadedhdhoo Airport in GDh. Atoll will be handed over to Villa Air – as ordered by the Supreme Court – in February. 

The Kaadedhdhoo Airport was handed over to Villa Air for development and management for a period of 50 years. However, the agreement was terminated during former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration in 2017, and the airport was seized from the company.   

The decision led to Villa Air filing a lawsuit against the state with the Civil Court. The Civil Court ruled the termination of the agreement to be unlawful, and ordered the state to hand over the airport back to Villa Air in 2018. The ruling was upheld upon appeal at the High Court, and by the Supreme Court in May 2021.   

Eight months on, the Transport Ministry has yet to hand over the airport to Villa Air. Villa Group is owned by Qasim Ibrahim, the husband of Transport Minister Aishath Nahula.   

State Minister for Transport Ahmed Zuhair told Sun on Sunday morning that the ministry is at the last stage of finalizing the agreement. 

“It will be handed over as soon as compensation to Villa is finalized. We are looking to make the handover in February,” he said. 

The main jetty of Kaadedhdhoo, which houses the country’s oldest regional airport, collapsed last Friday – obstructing travel in and out of the island. The large section of the jetty collapsed after the sand underneath slid.   

Villa Air’s Managing Director Abdulla Nashid told Sun last Saturday that the company’s top officials conducted an inspection of the condition of the airport late last year, and plan on building a new harbor in the island.   

Nashid said that however, the company cannot initiate any work until the airport is officially handed over to them.  

“We will begin fixing it the moment the airport is handed over. A site inspection was conducted at the top-level of this company,” he said.  

“We will proceed with everything as agreed with the government once the airport is handed over.”  

Nashid said that Villa Air has done everything on their side for the agreement, and hopes the government will begin work on their side soon.