Another fire truck sent to resume operations at Fuvahmulah Airport

The one island atoll, Fuvahmulah City Airport has been temporarily closed after a fire truck pipe broke, leading to the dispatch of another fire truck to resolve the issue and resume airport operations.

Mohamed Haam shared a photo on Facebook of the replacement fire truck, noting it was currently on a landing craft en route to Fuvahmulah. The post anticipates the fire truck will arrive at the airport by 21:30, with airport services expected to resume on Wednesday. The landing craft originated from Addu.

When contacted by Sun, MACL stated it was working to replace the blown pipe of the airport's fire truck and confirmed an engine had been sent to Fuvahmulah late Monday evening.

A MACL official emphasized, "The fire truck is a core component of the safety of the flight when it lands. So if the fire truck is not in working condition, it cannot land. It is a standard of IATA [International Airports Transport Association]."

He indicated the airport would be operational on Wednesday or sooner, as soon as the problem is resolved.

Fuvahmulah Mayor Ismail Rafeeq told Sun that numerous flights have been canceled due to the airport closure, stranding many travelers. The Mayor also expressed concern over the disruption to tourist trips. He noted a previous incident of a fire truck pipe breakage disrupting airport operations.

"It is very important to resolve the issue so that such a problem does not happen again in the future. It seems that a fire truck will arrive from Addu at 00:00 tonight," the mayor said.

Maldivian, the national airline, has also temporarily suspended flights due to the ruptured fire truck pipe at the airport. The airline stated in an X post on Tuesday that flights have been disrupted due to the temporary airport closure and assured affected passengers they would be contacted and provided with "all necessary assistance."

FUVAHMULAH FLIGHT UPDATE – 2 SEPTEMBER 2025

Due to temporarily closure of Fuvahmulah Airport, our scheduled flights have been affected. Our team is actively reaching out to impacted passengers and will be providing all necessary assistance during this time.

We sincerely…

— MaldivianAero (@MaldivianAero) September 2, 2025

Maldivian apologized for the inconveniences and advised passengers to contact their call center at 1671 for further assistance.

It is noteworthy that Fuvahmulah is a thriving local tourism destination, particularly popular among diving tourists. High transportation costs are also a concern for local tourism operators on the island. Such temporary closure of the airport can make an adverse impact on the atoll's economy.