Velana International Airport

The built-up area of 75,000 m 2 allows for the capacity of 7.3 million passengers per annum

Being the main international airport in Maldives and located in Hulhule Island, Velana Airport serves as the main gateway into the Maldives for tourists and locals. The nature of the site location creates unprecedented logistical challenges.

The project involves the expansion of facilities, infrastructure, and the construction of the international passenger terminal. As a design and build turn key project, BCG with international collaboration has created a prime design that enhances the experience of all tourists visiting resort islands.

The built-up area of 75,000 m 2 allows for the capacity of 7.3 million passengers per annum. The innovative design allows for future capacity increase of the airport, by extending the boarding concourse from 6 to 9 gates giving the client a flexible long-term solution for operation.

Velana International Airport is a unique project that features many constraints, especially in regard to the substructural works. The challenges arise due to the nature of the existing topography. Lose sands and highwater table levels are examples of the key constraints. Using innovative design and frequent soil investigations, BCG in collaboration with international design firms have designed a complete solution.

A piling design that uses prestressed, pre-cast spun piles of 600 mm diameter with an internal core diameter of 400 mm. The project consists of 1475 piles of a length varying from 12 m to 16 m, each pile is designed with a load bearing capacity of 1600 kilonewtons.