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| Sunday, 18 January 2004 |
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Aviation sector gets ready for future growth The Government has decided to set up an international airport in Wellawaya in the South, with road access available from the Southern Expressway, said Minister of Transport, Highways and Civil Aviation Tilak Marapana. He said the proposed international airport will have only the basic infrastructure to handle international, regional and domestic flights. "We are contemplating making this proposed airport into a cargo and mail hub," Marapana said at the opening ceremony of the Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Training Academy (SLCATA) and EU-South Asia Civil Aviation Project. The EU-South Asia Civil Aviation Project is a European Union-funded three-year project, which will conduct civil aviation training programmes for South Asian countries along with the SLCATA. Minister Marapana also said that the Government has adopted an Open Skies policy, which will be fully implemented by 2005. He said this policy will actively encourage airlines to operate into Sri Lanka without any limitations regarding the type of traffic they carry. Sri Lanka's geographic position and its policy of developing tourism actively calls for a bold initiative to have a training academy of this nature, said Minister Marapana. Marapana said they have already signed agreements with the UAE and Singapore in keeping with open skies principles. Sri Lanka also has open skies agreements with the Maldives and USA. In keeping with developments in the aviation industry, the Government will adopt plans to develop the sector. He said the expansion of the Katunayake airport will be planned in three stages to cater to the airline traffic anticipated in decades to come. He said the Government will also actively encourage training flying schools, which are absolutely necessary in this scenario. He said that SLCATA could play a pivotal role in promoting courses locally as well as internationally specially in South Asian countries. Managing Director, International Programme of European Aero Space International, Patrick Deprevo said the Sri Lankan Government had offered them the necessary support to set up an office in Sri Lanka to conduct the civil aviation training project for the South Asian region. This project will train 350 students per year; 50 per cent of the opportunities will be for Sri Lankans, while the other 50 per cent will be for South Asian countries including Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Chairman Civil Aviation Authority, Shibly Aziz said having a Civil Aviation Academy will enable Sri Lankans to obtain internationally recognised certificates on aviation studies without going out of the country. (HS) |
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