Palaly airport to open for international flights
Priority is to be given to the Northern Province in employment opportunities at the soon-to-be opened Palaly International Airport, Petroleum Resources and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunge has said in Jaffna.
He made this comment during a visit to the airport with a team of 80 officials to assess its development project.
He further said that priority will be given to Jaffna products at the airport duty free shops. Earlier responding to a question raised by the EPDP MP Douglas Devananda in Parliament, he agreed to pay compensation to private lands which were taken over for airport development.
The first phase development works are to be completed on October 10 while new flights are scheduled to begin on October 15.
Two questions raised by Jaffna residents are whether passengers can access the airport through the present Palaly road from Jaffna town or whether passengers are to reach the airport through the Kankesanturai road only. The present road to Palaly from Jaffna town is used by the Air Force to its airbase. The other issue is whether the flight services are to be conducted to India’s southern city of Chennai, which is unclear at the moment.