Up, Up and Away

* New chapter in Lanka’s aviation history

* Gargantuan economic prospects for South

Rasika Somarathna and Dharmasri Abeyratne

Top foreign delegates at opening ceremony

Several top foreign delegates will participate in the opening ceremony of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport today.

Among them will be Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Vice-Chairperson Luo Fuhe, Maldives President Mohammed Waheed Hassan and heads of Air Arabia, Fly Dubai and Emirates.Delegates from several other countries and international airlines will also attend the opening ceremony.

Turning a new chapter in the country’s aviation history, Sri Lanka’s second international air gateway - Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), will be opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa today.

The facility will go down in history as the first-ever to be operated as an international airport from day one of its commencement, Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne said.

The airport has being awarded International Airport Certification (certification of compliance and certification of aerodrome), enabling it to operate as an international airport from its inception.

Sri Lanka’s first international airport at Katunayake began as a Royal Air Force airfield in 1944 during the Second World War and in 1964 the government of the day, started building a new international airport which was completed in 1967. Bandaranaike International Airport got international status in 1968.

Minister Jayaratne said MRIA will be a significant landmark in the journey of Sri Lanka towards becoming an aviation hub in Asia in line with the vision targeted under Mahinda Chinthanaya.

SriLankan Airlines, the country’s national carrier, will fly the inaugural flight to MRIA. Already 23 international airlines have voiced interest in initiating flights to MRIA. The airport has a one million passenger handling capacity. SriLankan Airlines during the first phase will operate two flights to Riyadh, four to Male, two to Beijing and one to Shanghai via Bangkok, while there will be two Mihin Lanka flights operating to Bodh Gaya.

Another impressive factor at MRIA is that its modern airstrip could facilitate landing of the latest Airbus 380. The 3,500m Cord 4F type run-way has a width of 75m with two taxiways - a 360m length code F type with a width of 60m and a 550m code C type with a width of 25m.

SriLankan Airlines will be the sole ground handler at MRIA providing full handing services including passenger services, baggage services and cargo handling for charters and privately owned aircraft. SriLankan Cargo will manage MRIA’s 5,000-square metre cargo facility with the capacity of handling 60,000 metric tons. It is equipped with facilities to store live animals, dangerous goods, temperature regulated goods, customs and quarantine cargo, with special provisions for valuable cargo, weighing facility up to 15,000 kgs and screening machines.

Meanwhile, all line maintenance requirements at MRIA for Airbus A300, A320, A330, A340 and Boeing 737 aircraft, including support for other operators’ aircraft will be provided by SriLankan engineering.

The airport is geared to support domestic flights as well and will handle air-sea cargo transshipment in conjunction with the Hambantota sea port and will be an alternative to BIA.

The entire project is to cost US $ 200 million. Under the first phase, basic aerodrome facilities, runway apron, taxi way, passenger and cargo terminals are constructed. In addition, access roads, accommodation for officials, fuel farm, sewerage treatment plant, water supply facilities, meteorological building, fire building, catering facility and car park are constructed. In the second phase, a full length parallel taxiway, a flying school, an airport hotel and recreational facilities are to be constructed.. After completion of its second phase, MRIA will handle five million passengers.

Once all development projects are completed, Sri Lanka’s International Airports will have the capacity of handling 21 million passengers annually. Minister Jayaratne said the opening of MRIA will usher unprecedented economic prospects for the people of south and the whole of Sri Lanka in general.