Amadeus IT : Iconic island airport looks to the future with Amadeus

Famed for its natural beauty and its reputation as a top honeymoon destination, tourism in the Maldives has grown rapidly over the years to become the country's largest economic contributor. As a result, Velana International Airport (previously known as Male International Airport) is now serving 2.6 million passengers and over 35 scheduled and chartered carriers annually.

Anticipating an increase in the number of travellers, and to future-proof their business, Velana, the main international airport in the Maldives, has now successfully deployed Amadeus' airport management solutions.

Commenting on the partnership, Adil Moosa, Managing Director, Maldives Airports Company Limited, said, 'The recent change in our name to Velana International Airport signifies new beginnings, with new infrastructure developments for the future and we've started by transforming our technology and processes with Amadeus. With the increasing flow of visitors to the Maldives, it was becoming a strain to maintain efficiency and deliver quality experiences due to numerous manual processes.'

Moosa added, 'We have been growing steadily over the past decade as tourism has come to the fore, and we really see the value in Amadeus' technology to help us manage and automate our airport operations. It's also great that it was accessible to a smaller airport like Velana, we're already seeing cost savings, reduced delays, and healthier profit margins. More importantly, it has empowered us to continue providing passengers a smooth experience through our 'gateway to paradise'.'

Together, these two solutions enable the airport to accurately plan an optimised management of its resources far in advance. Velana will be able to make data-driven decisions for precise resource allocation, resulting in better slot adherence and increased on-time performance. The technology has been proven to reduce delays, minimise costs, maximise revenues and increase operational efficiency.

Sarah Samuel, Head of Airport IT Sales, Amadeus Asia Pacific, said, 'As we grow our customer base in Asia Pacific, it is key that we are able to service any type or size of airport, anywhere in the region. Our scalable technology fits perfectly with Velana's plans for future growth without the need for big future investments. This has been an exciting project for us as we have adapted our offer to meet and exceed the needs of our customer. We are proud of the trust that Velana International has placed in us to deliver this market-leading solution.'

Amadeus is currently working with the airport to implement more airport management solutions throughout its journey of digital transformation.