The new fuel farm and fuel hydrant system at Velana International Airport (VIA) was inaugurated officially on Thursday.
The new facilities were opened during a special ceremony held for the occasion by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
A video presentation about the facilities were shown at the event, which confirms the fuel farm takes up an approximate 37,000 square meters, triple the capacity of the previous facility with 45 million litres of Jet A-1 fuel storage capacity. The farm also has additional reserves of 1 million litres of diesel and 100,000 litres of petrol.
The facility also has potential for two additional Jet A-1 tanks to support future expansion.
As for the new fuel hydrant system, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) which operates VIA, said confirmed over 8 kilometres of underground pipeline network has been installed providing direct fuel delivery from the fuel farm to each aircraft stand.
The new hydrant system eliminates dependency on refueler trucks for long-haul flights that require to uplift over 60,000 litres of Jet A-1 fuel. Moreover, switching to hydrant dispense usage reduces ground movement thereby enhancing operational safety. Direct fuelling connection would also support faster aircraft turnarounds.
According to MACL, the new fuel farm and hydrant system would streamline refuelling as direct fuelling would ensure continuous and rapid fuel flow to aircraft, which would in turn, reduce ground time and support on-time schedules.
Besides this, the new facilities enhance improvements with respect to health, safety, security and the environment. MACL reports that the fuel farm and hydrant system reduce fuel truck emissions as hydrant fuelling lowers air pollution and benefit the health of the professional working on the apron.
Additionally, the hydrant system minimizes ground vehicle traffic around aircraft which in turn would reduce the risk of vehicle collisions and fuel handling accidents.
MACL further reports that these facilities address the airport’s increasing operational needs and anticipated growth in air traffic. It further ensures readiness for larger aircraft and supports rising passenger volumes.
The facilities were developed through a loan aid from China’s EXIM Bank.
