No frills for Mihin, no frills at BIA
While SriLankan Airlines and Mihin Air would merge according to state plans, the budget carrier would however operate mainly to carry pilgrim traffic, Ports and Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said in Colombo on Wednesday.
Speaking to the Business Times on the sidelines of a media briefing, he noted that while the merger would take place Mihin Air would primarily cater for pilgrim traffic adding that the carrier had performed better than the national carrier.
The report on the merger would be released on March 31, he said without indicating the manner in which this merger would be carried out.
Minister Ranatunga observed that in respect of the route planning for SriLankan Airlines, the routes that were not feasible would be removed in future, though no decision was taken on the specific routes yet.
The minister declined to comment on the interim report submittedby the senior lawyer J.C. Weliamuna-led committee. The full report is scheduled to be ready by March 31.
Further, addressing the media he said the VIP lounge at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) would in future be restricted without allowing any person with influence to use it.
The minister explained that in the past even top businessmen were found using this VIP lounge by simply calling a politician and allowed its use without any formal papers.
He added that this trend would be stopped and no one’s relatives either could use the lounge except for those it is catered for.
The air strip at the BIA has to undergo development, he said, adding that would be carried out at a reduced cost of US$30 million. The minister noted that the Japanese government had provided a loan for the infrastructure development activities at the airport.
Some of the additional costs involved in construction would be cut down, he said like the lotus flower roof that was simply a showpiece as a result of which around $4-5 million would be saved on expenditure.