Construction to begin in July:

Intl. Airport in Hambantota to be ready by 2011

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Environmental approval has been granted to the new proposed international airport at Mattala in Hambantota District. The construction work will commence in two months and the new airport is scheduled to be opened in 2011. The airport, which would fill a big void, would be constructed on 800 hectares of bare land and with an investment of Rs. 22 billion with foreign funding. The airport, in the first stage, would consist of one runway and a taxiway and under the second stage it would be expanded allowing bigger aircraft like A380’s to land.

“The airport would be constructed under a green concept and would be eco-friendly with several lakes and green landscape,” said Chairman Airport and Aviation Services, Prasanna J. Wickramasuriya.

Sri Lanka engineers would do the designing and implementation of the project, thus saving foreign exchange to the country. Subsequent to President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent visit, Libya has shown a keen interest to invest in the project while several other financing methods too have been formulated.

The airport, in the first five years, would primarily focus on cargo operations going in line with the Hambantota harbour which would be opened during the same period.

One of the main reasons to select Hambantota was that the project would stimulate the development and infrastructure in the area, thus raising living standards of the under privileged people not only in Hambantota, but in nearby Matara, Moneragala and like districts.

Tourism in these areas too would have a major positive impact from the project while Mattala International Airport would also serve as the cargo hub to the East.

“With the war ending, entrepreneurs in the North and East would no longer need to come to Colombo to export or import their products,” he said.

In addition the new airport, it is also expected to create new aviation culture by introducing a domestic air link network.

“Special domestic flights are to be launched linking Colombo, Ratmalana, Trincomalee and Palaly with the assistance of the private sector,” the Chairman said.

In addition, the setting up of a duty free hub too is proposed. The AASL is also hoping to formulate a special team to market Sri Lanka airports internationally to create this air link network.

With the proposed Colombo-Matara Highway to be completed in two years and he proposed extension of the rail link from Matara to Kataragama, passengers would not have to spend long hours to travel to their destinations. “We are targeting one million passengers after five years,” he elaborated. Unlike the previous project at Weerawila, livelihoods of the people nor agriculture would be affected under the proposed plan.

“This may be the reason why we managed to obtain the environmental green light in less than a month,” he said. The second international airport is a fulfilment of yet another pledge of the Mahinda Chintana and the Aviation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa is personally keen to get the project on schedule.