Velana International Airport (VIA) will stage its biennial Airport Full-Scale Emergency Exercise (AFEX) on Monday, September 8, 2025, in partnership with Qatar Airways—an exercise designed to test the airport’s emergency plan, inter-agency SOPs and airline contingency procedures. Organiser Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL) said scheduled flight operations will continue; a brief runway closure is planned as part of the drill but is not expected to disrupt services.
As part of traffic management for the exercise, authorities will close the airport-bound lane of the Sinamalé Bridge from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Monday, with the Maldives Police Service overseeing bridge traffic during these hours. Passengers and airport staff are advised to plan extra time for surface travel.
AFEX is mandated under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and enforced by the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority, requiring a full-scale aerodrome emergency exercise at intervals not exceeding two years, complemented by interim tests to close any gaps identified. VIA last ran a full-scale drill in 2022.
Ahead of Monday’s exercise, MACL has convened partner briefings and sector-specific training—including sessions with the Maldives Police Service—to refine command, coordination and crowd-management protocols during a simulated major incident.
This year’s AFEX will bring together 32 institutions with 391 volunteers supporting the scenario. The drill will focus on real-time coordination among airport emergency services, air traffic, airlines and first responders to validate readiness at the country’s busiest gateway while maintaining continuity of flight operations.
