There is no reason for Maldives Airports Company Limited to lease the seaplane terminal to Trans Maldivian Airways unless there is an underhand deal. According to the audit report conducted by the Auditor General’s Office MACL will lose 55 million dollars per year if the terminal is leased to TMA.
TMA has not been able to show a shred of evidence which proves that the MACL is obliged to lease the terminal to TMA. When an influential group bought the majority shares of TMA, many people predicted that something like this might happen. After company was acquired by a foreign investment firm, many Maldivians who served the airline for a long term were kicked out of the company and replaced by foreigners.
People who observed the situation even then predicted that this day might come.
TMA claimed that MACL agreed to lease the terminal to them at a very low cost. However, MACL never signed any agreement. Previously there were rumors that the whole terminal will be leased to TMA, however now the government has decided to lease around 5000 square meters for 10.35 USD per square meter.
Speaking at the financial committee of the parliament, the CEO of TMA Fauzy said that MACL agreed to lease a huge area of the terminal to TMA for 15 years and requested the government to honor that agreement.
However MACL never agreed to lease the terminal to TMA for 15 years. All the letters sent to TMA from MACL states that it is not an agreement and primarily negotiated the rental price.
A letter sent to TMA on 23rd October 2017 by MACL was a counter proposal to TMA by MACL. In that proposal. MACL proposed to charge 10.35 USD per square meters and to charge USD 5 per passenger. Also, MACL proposed TMA to pay an advance rent of 8 million dollars.
However TMA wanted to reduce the rent price. TMA noted that they received a letter from MACL on 10th December 2017. The letter was a counter proposal from MACL and not an agreement to lease the airport at that rate.
TMA’s proposal was to pay 7 USD per square meter and to pay 7 USD per passenger. However MACL rejected this proposal. MACL did not agree in anyway to lease at that rate. So it is clear that MACL did not agree to anything in the letters.
