Velana International Airport’s new passenger terminal, Terminal 1, has officially opened to Gulf Air, marking another milestone in the phased opening of the new facility.
A special ceremony was held to celebrate the occasion, attended by Visit Maldives Corporation Chairman Abdulla Giyas, Gulf Air Airport Manager Mohamed Arshadh Mohamed Navaas, and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) Deputy Managing Director Mujthaba Latheef, along with senior officials from both organisations.
During the event, Gulf Air inaugurated its check-in counters at Terminal 1 and presented gifts to 77 passengers on the departing flight. The airline’s first flight to operate from the new terminal, GF145, received a ceremonial water salute upon arrival. The 18 arriving passengers were greeted with a warm Maldivian welcome featuring traditional cultural performances.
Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, currently operates daily flights between Bahrain, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. With this move, Gulf Air becomes the ninth airline to operate from Terminal 1 and the second Middle Eastern carrier to do so.
Other airlines now operating from Terminal 1 include Maldivian, Air Arabia, FitsAir, Beyond, Beijing Capital Airlines, Batik Air, Bangkok Airways, and IndiGo.
MACL stated that it remains committed to providing world-class facilities and high-quality services to all airlines operating from Velana International Airport’s new terminal.
