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| Sunday, 23 October 2005 |
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Green light for float planes by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen Approval has been received to land Amphibian aircraft or float planes in the water of the Mahaweli Ganga in Navayalatenna in Katugastota from November this year said the Chief Executive Officer of the SriLankan Airlines Peter Hill. He disclosed this at the presentation of awards ceremony of the SriLankan Airlines Golf Classic 2005 organised by the Victoria Golf and country resort and sponsored by the SriLankan Airlines at the ceremony held at the Mahaweli Reach Hotel in Kandy. Peter Hill said that flying by float planes to specified destinations such as Kandy, Sigiriya and Nuwara Eliya by tourist is getting increasingly popular among the foreign and local tourists. It saves a lot of time for time pressed tourists who would also like to view the spectacular sceneries of Sri Lanka by air. At present tourist coming to Kandy by float planes will have to disembark at Victoria and from there travel by road. When the float planes touch down on the waters of the Mahaweli river, they will be getting off at the hill capital itself. The place which has been identified for the landing of the float planes in Katugastota in close proximity to Mahaweli Reach Hotel which is on the banks of this river. This site will be not far off from the Polgolla dam as a result of which the water is stagnant and the region is always full of water which will help in the landing of these float planes. There is also ample space for landing and for taking off. At Victoria a temporary pier has been constructed for the passengers to come to land. It is likely that a similar structure will be constructed at Katugastota to facilitate for the passengers to come to shore or they will be ferried by boats. Peter Hill confirmed that test flights will be carried out shortly and
the official flights will commence in about a months time. |
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