More int’l airlines, charter flights to be under MRIA radar

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Several international airlines and charter flight companies will be adding Mattala Rajapaksa International airport to their radar soon. Kaushali Munasinghe, Head of Marketing and Airport Aviation Services, speaking to Daily News Business said that currently Air Arabia would be operating services every Monday and Friday and would be the first international airline to launch operations to MRIA. In addition, the Dubai based airline would increase its frequency by two in May and would launch daily operations from September 14.

This would make Air Arabia the first ever international airline to have a daily frequency to MRIA and would operate 14 weekly flights to both Colombo as well as MRIA. In addition, flydubai, another low cost carrier in UAE, would add MRIA as one of their destinations begining May 3. They would gradually increase their frequency to daily operations by the end year. Munasinghe said that both these flights touched down in MRIA for the inauguration and picked up nearly 120 passengers on their return.

She also disclosed that Ethiad Airlines was also expected to touch down in MRIA from November, while Emirates too had expressed willingness to fly to Mattala. In addition, two leading charter operators, TUI and Enter Air, too were expected to commerce charters from next winter.

The national carrier, SriLankan’s Male, Shanghai, Riyad, Beijing and some Bangkok bound flights would be operating via Mattala as stopover flights. “They would have 25 weekly flights touching down in Mattala.”

Mihin Lanka too would operate stopover flights.

The operation of duty free shops have been granted to a foreign based operator, while the business lounge would be operated by SriLankan Catering.

Meanwhile, two investors have put forward proposals to set up Pilot Training Schools in MRIA. “We are currently evaluating these proposals,” she said.

The cargo terminal too was now fully functional and the Air Arabian management was now looking at building a hotel in MRIA. This is a 50 room hotel and the land for it would be provided within the airport premises.