4 domestic airports to be privately managed
At least four domestic airports in Sri Lanka in proximity to key tourist resorts are likely to be handed over for private management.
Civil Aviation Authority Director General H.M.C. Nimalsiri told the Business Times that they had submitted a proposal to the government to ensure that the domestic airports currently manned by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) would come under civil administration in future.
In this respect, the authorities have proposed private investment in operating four of the 16 airports at Batticaloa, Katukurunda, Ratmalana and Sigiriya, since the government cannot manage the huge cost in maintaining these airports.The Ratmalana airport is proposed to be converted to a city airport for which more space could be allocated on one side to ensure that civil operation could be further enhanced without any hindrance to operate private jets. It would also ease congestion at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and it was possible to charge a higher fee than what was currently charged at the BIA, he noted.
The Katukurunda domestic airfield was said to be ideal as a training course but since the SLAF was in control of this facility the students would have to go through a strict security control and civilians were not willing to go through such controls.In this regard, the CAA DG proposed that the SLAF occupy one side of the airfield and leave the rest for free access to students. A sum of over Rs.1 billion has been spent on refurbishment at the Batticaloa airport.