Mattala international air port to be grounded

Sunday, 08 March 2015 

The government has decided to cancel all passenger flights to the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA).

Vice President of the Airport and Aviation Service (Sri Lanka) Limited Sanjeewa Wijeratne said that landing passenger planes at MRIA will be completely cancelled from April 1.

He further said that even though approximately Rs. 250 million has been spent on maintaining the airport, only two passengers have arrived at the airport last month.

Wijeratne pointed out that under these circumstances it is a burden on the country to spend such a huge amount of money on the airport.

He further said that around 450 staff work at the airport and some of them will be transferred to the Bandaranaike International Airport and Ratmalana airport.

Thereafter, he said, the Mattala International airport will be used only as an international aviation aircraft maintenance and cargo operations center. Wijeratne said that the decision to cancel passenger operations at the Mattala airport has already been notified to the relevant authorities.

“Repaying of the annual installments for the loan taken for the construction of the airport will take effect from September,” he said.

The airport is already closed at night and air-condition units and lights not used during the day are switched off.