Chinese workers are stepping up the construction of an expansion project of the Maldives Velana International Airport.
The project, undertaken by Beijing Urban Construction Group Co., kicked off in November 2016 and is scheduled to be completed this November.
It is an important cooperation project between China and Maldives under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
In August 2018, construction of a 3,400-meter-long and 60-meter-wide runway was completed as part of the expansion.
Earlier this month, construction of an east parking apron and the expanded west parking apron were both completed.
Velana International Airport is the main gateway into the Maldives islands for tourists. It is currently the only airport in the country offering international flights.
The expanded Velana International Airport is expected to improve its transport capacity.
Official data from Maldives show that the project will bring about 9,000 jobs and create about 75,000 new jobs in tourism-related industries.
