Incredible new £800m airport set to open on world's most beautiful islands

The Maldives is known around the world as one of the best holiday destinations.

But while its beautiful clear waters are among the main attractions, the surrounding Indian Ocean is also posing a major threat to its future.

The Maldives is especially vulnerable to climate change, as sea level rises mean that 80 percent of the country could become uninhabitable by 2050, according to experts.

The country's dependence on tourism also threatens to worsen the problem. As a result, leaders in the country are looking for solutions.

The main international airport in the Maldives, Velana International Airport, is undergoing a huge development with a reported cost of $1billion (£783million).

Construction for the first phase will be completed soon.

Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, CEO and Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company, told Euronews: “The current terminal is built to service about 2,700 to 3,000 maximum. But we are servicing 12,000 passengers from a facility which is built to cater for 3,000. So when the new terminal comes out, the service levels will just jump."

A huge tsunami in 2004 has left the country well aware of the disastrous impact of climate change.

The disaster killed 82 people and destroyed many buildings, including damage to the airport.

Mr Mohamed continued: “The memory of the tsunami is that almost everyone felt the fear. So we are very cognizant of the fact that climate change is real and we try to incorporate energy efficient, renewable energy and other techniques in our buildings, even to the extent that our designs address negative climate impacts."

Velana Airport will have its grounds fortified while also turning to renewable energy to prevent long-term damage from climate change.

The development will see a seaplane terminal built. The airport currently sees 72 flights an hour for its operating hours of 6am to 6pm, and there are plans to increase this.

Mr Mohamed added: “We’ve begun discussions with several airport lighting companies from around the world on how we can install lights in the water in a safe and sustainable manner, so the seaplane runways can be lit at night."

The plan is for the airport to use 90 percent of energy from renewable sources in just two years.

The Maldives is currently was spending a huge 50 percent of its entire budget on climate change measures in 2022.

However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the authorities of failing to implement their own environmental regulations

The organisation said: “The Maldives government has ignored or undermined environmental protection laws, increasing flooding risks and other harm to island communities."