The International Airport Male is located on its own specially built island, Hulule, close to the capital Male. The island is in the shape of an aircraft carrier and was opened on November 11, 1981. The runway is approximately 2840m in length. The airport was financed by the Kuwait Fund, Saudi Fund, Abu Dhabi Fund and the OPEC Fund. The cost was about 23 million US$. The old passenger terminal was about 95m x 35m in size. Through this terminal 200,000+ passengers passed through annually. Because of the continuing increase in the number of passengers (328,733 in 1996) it was necessary to enlarge the terminal and adapt to international standards. The new terminal is fully air-conditioned, provides modern check-in counters, baggage claim area and much more, to provide faster and more comfortable service.