FSDG has recently released their rendition of Velana International Airport (VRMM) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, serving Malé in the Maldives with a yearly average of 4 million passengers as of 2019.

The airport started as a small strip of land on the island of Hulhulé in the early 1960s, with a runway made of slotted steel sheets. Four years later, the government and the residents started a joint effort to build a new asphalt runway, with four districts competing for a money prize for the fastest. Over 100 volunteers enlisted, and the runway was officially opened two years later.

A decade later, the tourism boom in the Maldives led to the need for an international standard airport, and they figured it would be easier to upgrade the former Hulhulé Airport rather than build an entirely new one from scratch. With help from the International Airports Authority of India, the new airport was completed in 1981.

Expansion work was carried out for the first time in 2018, with the construction of a new runway to serve longer aircraft. Although initially only used as a taxiway, it eventually got to serve its truthful purpose with the demolition of the old Trans Maldivian Airways seaplane terminal, which was in close proximity and not within international standards, therefore blocking the runway from being utilized. The demolition and eventual greenlight for usage only happened four years after completion.

A new seaplane terminal was inaugurated in 2022 to replace the demolished one. It can accommodate more than 100 planes and handle up to 300 flights per day. 

A new passenger terminal is also under construction and set to be completed in 2025. It will be over 78,000 square meters and handle up to 7.3 million passengers a year.

It’s a hub for BeOnd, Maldivian, and Trans Maldivian Airways. Aeroflot, AirAsia, Air Astana, Air India, Air Seychelles, Austrian Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Batik Air Malaysia, Beijing Capital Airlines, British Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Condor, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Emirates, Etihad Airways, FitsAir, flydubai, flyme, Gulf Air, Hong Kong Airlines, IndiGo, ITA, Kuwait Airways, LOT, Malaysia Airlines, Manta Air, Neos, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Saudia, Shirak Avia, Sichuan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai AirAsia, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Vistara, WizzAir, and XiamenAir also serve it.

The scenery features an accurate rendition of the airport, with a highly detailed seaplane base, the new terminal (still under construction in real life), interior modeling, custom night lighting, an up-to-date ground layout, and more.

It’s available on their website for roughly $21.68, requiring at least 1.20 GB of free hard disk space to install.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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