Kaadedhdhoo Domestic Airport
The Airport, which opened on 11th December 1993, by the President His Excellency Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom was believed to bring rapid progress to the nation’s economy. And also it would be a great advancement because of the time saved, for medical and communication purposes - for more reasons than one. This airport is a great relief for the people in Huvadhoo Atoll in view. As everyone knows Huvadhoo Sea is the largest sea in Maldives. So the difficulties experienced by the Atoll during bad weather is beyond imagination. In case of sudden medical emergencies and for many other reasons this airport has brought comfort to lots of people. If Malé International Airport provides more than one opportunity in the development of Maldives, the advantages brought by Kaadedhdhoo would not be much lesser.

The reason for selecting Kaadedhdhoo to build an airport.
In the south of Maldives two airports already existed. Since Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll is in the middle of these two airports Kaadedhdhoo was chosen as the best island to build an airport. The most populated island in this atoll is Thinadhoo and Kaadedhdhoo was the nearest island to Thinadhoo. A survey of Kaadedhdhoo was carried out on 9th May 1991 and the construction work commenced in December 1991 with the advise of Seiki-Tokyo Co. Pvt. Ltd.
 
The runway project.
By the end of this project it was decided that the following works should be completed:
- Two turning pads of 4000 feet x 100 feet
- Two taxiways of 20 feet x 40 feet
And it was decided to clear the approach zone and safety area, which was needed for the runway. Hence an area of 450 feet from the middle of the runway to either side was cleared as the safety area.
An area of 1200 square feet was cleared of trees from the North of the runway as the approach zone. Also another approach zone of 945 feet was cleared from the South. Unlike other airports the soil of Kaadedhdhoo is muddy. So during rainy season, to prevent the runway getting flooded it was decided to dig ditches in the safety area. Also it was decided to pave the roads from the apron to terminal and from the runway to fire station.

Roads in Kaadedhdhoo Airport.
It was decided to build some service roads. Hence four roads each 25 feet wide were to be built across the island. A road 35 feet wide was also planned. A road of 4900 feet long was to be built around the building block after excavating the ground for a depth of one and half feet. To refill the area, 1,160,000 cubic feet of sand would be used.

Buildings to provide various services.
In order to provide the various services needed for the passengers a terminal building was to be built with the following offices:-
- Department of Meteorology
- Maldives Airports Authority (Now known as Maldives Airports Company Ltd.)
- Maldives Air Services Ltd For maintenance of the machinery and equipment a workshop and a vehicle garage was set up, in addition to a Power House and a Fire Station. For the convenience of the staff working at the airport a bedroom, kitchen, toilet, mosque and a quarter for the senior staff were to be built. A storeroom and a check post were also planned. A guesthouse for VIPs, an Air Traffic Control Tower and a hut for the NDB equipment were also planned.

Other Facilities
- 3 tanks of 1600 cubic feet were to be built for storing drinking water.
- To protect the environment, trees were to be planted around the buildings and in all the vacant areas accept the safety areas.
- Lights for the roads and runway were to be installed.
- Due to the difficulty faced in coming in and going out of Kaadedhdhoo dredging of a selected area of the entrance to Kaadedhdhoo was to be done.
 
How the work progressed
The agreement was signed and the work began in December 1991. Japanese Company named Seiki-Tokyo Co. Pvt. Ltd. constructed the runway. At the end of 1992, an area of 398,000 feet, which was needed for the runway, safety area, approach area and the buildings, were cleared of all the trees. Most of the land in Kaadedhdhoo was of muddy soil. Therefore, about 80,000 cubic feet of the muddy soil was removed and the area then refilled with sand brought from different areas of the island. At the end of 1992, 27,000 cubic feet of coral and 6292 cubic feet of sand, which were needed for the construction, were brought to the site. And at the end of 1992, the quarters were built for the workers of Maldivian contractors who were to construct the buildings. Since the water at the entrance to Kaadedhdhoo is shallow, it was difficult to bring in the required goods. Hence at the end of 1992, an area of 50,000 square feet was dredged on the eastern side of the island. In October 1992, foundation for an airport mess room and office buildings were land and work commenced. Foundation for a powerhouse, a fire station and a control tower was laid in November 1992. By the end of February 1993, all the work except runway markings was completed. And the test flight to Kaadedhdhoo airport was operated on the 17th. Except for the construction of the control tower, all the work was completed by 10th of December 1993. As we all know, construction of an airport with a runway and other buildings on an uninhabited island is a Herculean task and hence, the efforts of the organizers who played a lead role, should be greatly appreciated. Therefore, the first on the Thank You list is the former Minister of Defense and National Security Mr. Ilyas Ibrahim for the assistance provided even before the work began. Next on the list are the active and hard working staff of Maldives Airports Authority as they participated in this project with so much enthusiasm. And the Japanese Company Seiki-Tokyo Co. Pvt. Ltd., which, constructed the runway, also deserves gratitude. The support and assistance given by the citizens of Huvadhoo Atoll, especially the Atoll Chief, and the Atoll office staff, and staff of Civil Aviation Department and Air Maldives Ltd were noteworthy. The Maldivian contractors who constructed the buildings in Kaadedhdhoo with patience also deserve many thanks. The companies involved were Swift Engineering, Monaza Construction and Filima Carpentry. We are overwhelmingly grateful to our present leader His Excellency President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, for making available such generous funding for this project and giving the opportunity to provide a service which would be beneficial to the development of our nation