BIA new terminal to accommodate 6 m passengers

Indunil HEWAGE

Bandaranaike International Airport has embarked on a rapid expansion plan with a view to becoming a dominant force in the international aviation market.

Under the second phase of the BIA expansion project, a new aerodrome which has the ability to land nine airplanes is being put up.

Once the second stage of the second phase of the BIA expansion plan is completed, BIA will be converted into a fully fledged international airport with a higher passenger handling capacity.

Plans are also afoot to complete the second stage of the second phase of the BIA expansion project by 2016. Accordingly, a new terminal which can handle six million passenger movements per annum will be build.

With this, the total passenger handling capacity at BIA will be increased up to 12 million in the future. This new terminal will have the capability to provide facilities for arriving and departing passengers individually and it will also consist of 16 aerobridges with eight departure lounges and a pier.

In addition, the departure lounge will consist of hotels, duty free shops , restaurants , 52 airline service counters and 24 immigration counters and the arrival lounge will consist of Custom counters, emigration counters and other amenities .

To address the congestion at the airport, the main entrance and the main road leading to the airport will be modernized. In the wake the of the tourism boom in the country; BIA saw a 20 % growth in passenger capacity in 2011.

Air Port and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka ) Ltd has embarked on projects to further facilitate passengers at the BIA and managed to surpass the BIA annual maximum passenger handling capacity of six million in 2011.