Three domestic airlines seek approval:

AASL wooing more airlines

Indunil HEWAGE

Three domestic airlines have applied for approval this year to launch air services in the country. Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited (AASL) is in the process of facilitating them to set up their ventures.

Prasanna Wickramasuriya

Domestic and international air travel to Sri Lanka has increased in the face of the prevailing peaceful environment in the country.

Passengers to Sri Lanka has also increased this year with over 60 million passengers registering at the terminals.

"We hope this number would be doubled by 2012," AASL Chairman Prasanna Wickramasuriya said. "Four more international airlines have commenced air travel to the country in 2010.

AASL is also looking forward to re-negotiating with several international airlines that had stopped operations to Sri Lanka during the war. Negotiations would be done to attract them to Sri Lanka once again," Wickramasuriya said.

It is planned to employ talented artistes at the Banadaranaike International Airport to draw portraits of tourists coming to the country .

Traditional mask making stalls will also be available in the airport soon.

Construction work on the Mattala international airport is progressing well and it will be opened by end 2012.

Sri Lanka is aspiring to become an aviation hub in Asia.

“We are marching towards this ambition rapidly in keeping with massive development projects undertaken in the aviation sector in Sri Lanka,” the Chairman said. Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka has also increased by 50 percent this year and the country hopes around 650,000 tourists will visit Sri Lanka by the end of this year marking a record in the history of aviation and tourism industries in the country.