Kadhdhoo Airport

Kadhdhoo Airport ކައްދޫ އެއަރޕޯޓް
IATA: KDO ICAO: VRMK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Maldives Airports Co.
Serves	Haddhunmathi Atoll, Maldives
Location	Kadhdhoo, Laamu Atoll
Elevation AMSL	4 ft / 1.2 m
Coordinates	01°51′33″N 073°31′19″E / 1.85917°N 73.52194°E / 1.85917; 73.52194Coordinates: 01°51′33″N 073°31′19″E / 1.85917°N 73.52194°E / 1.85917; 73.52194
Website	http://kacl.aero
Map
KDO Location in Maldives
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 1,220 4,003 Bituminous
Sources: Airport website,DAFIF

Kadhdhoo Airport (Maldivian: ކައްދޫ އެއަރޕޯޓް) (IATA: KDO, ICAO: VRMK) is a domestic airport located on the island of Kadhdhoo in Laamu Atoll, Maldives. The airport is 3.7 km (2.0 NM) northeast of Fonadhoo.

From its initial conception the project ranks among the development program initiated by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom the project implementation was supervised by the Minister of Trade and Industries-cum-Deputy Minister of Defense and National Security, Ilyas Ibrahim.

Special mention has to be made of First Lieutenant Kairu Tuttu Maniku for his active role in the implementation of the project. Likewise, Mr. Kun’di Ali Saleem; Mr. Ahmed Mahreen, the senior Maintenance Technician of the Civil Aviation Authority; Major Shaukath Ibrahim; Lieutenant Ahmed Zahir; Lance Corporal Gasim Ahmed and Mr. Ranvikka Adam Maniku then a Staff Sergeant of the National Security Service all made significant contributions. The Ministry of Defense and National Security and the State Trading Organization rendered valuable assistance during the project’s early stages.

Excavation for the runway began on 11 January 1982, and the final layer of the runway was completed on 6 April 1986.

The project was implemented totally using local expertise, and though it was initiated under the Government’s budget alone, additional financial assistance was received from outside, notably from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ Fund (OPEC Fund). Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom opened this airport. The length of the runway at Kadhdhoo airport was 762 meters long and 30 m wide.

When the Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom assumed office in 1978, some of the most pressing problems faced by the country were the immense difficulty involved in traveling between Malé and the outlying islands and the adverse effects in the Maldivian fishing industry due to illegal entry of foreign fishing vessels into the Maldivian territorial waters.