SRI Lanka is doubling capacity at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) from the current seven million to 15 million passengers by 2020, in a move that has been welcomed by the trade.
The cabinet said last week that Japan will provide 45.4 million yen (US$364,589) in funding for the project, which includes the creation of two separate terminals to handle inbound and outbound passengers. BIA currently has one terminal.
The airport’s runway is also to be expanded along with more check-in counters and more on-arrival immigration desks.
Colombo’s main airport handled 7.8 million passengers last year, up from 7.3 million in 2013. Tourist arrivals are rising and expected to reach 2.5 million in 2016 and two million this year, compared to 1.5 million in 2014 and fewer than 500,000 five years ago.
Commenting on the announcement, Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka president, S Paramanathan, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Any airport with a sharp rise in tourist arrivals needs this kind of expansion.”
Nilmin Nanayakkara, managing director of NKAR Travels, said with numbers going up year on year, passenger movement needs to be freer and expanding the airport is vital.
