Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has a vision of airports around the island with the Bandaranaike International Airport ( BIA) on the West coast, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) on the South coast and another airport for the East that would be the thinking behind the Hingurakgoda airport, Airport and Aviation Services Ltd. (AASL) Executive Director Johanne Jayaratne told the Business Times.
He noted that the cost estimate for the Hingurakgoda airport has been identified at US$65 million as it would only involve the development of mainly the runway, lighting and terminal construction to cater to international standards with a capacity of one million passengers arriving on narrow body aircraft like A320 and A319. The runway length would be 2287 metres and a width of 46 metres.
At present the airport is manned by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and operated as a military facility that was in operation since 1942 during the time of the Royal Air Force and in proximity to Polonnaruwa.
However, Mr. Jayaratne, an expert in the aviation industry, believes the BIA and Mattala airports are sufficient and connected to the 12 domestic airports in the country.
“So many international airports may not be viable,” he said adding that authorities would need to convince airlines to fly in directly to the airport.
This plan for an Eastern airport is currently being worked out under the Megapolis plan of action for the development of Trincomalee as an economic hub.
Meanwhile, the interim terminal at the BIA is estimated to cost US$19 million capable of handling two million departures only (since this is where the congestion peaks) and due to be in operation by the first quarter of next year.
In the meantime, state officials are in talks with the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) in a bid to work out the loan given to them for the construction of the Stage II of the airport with a second terminal and runway.
With the apron and taxiways’ construction already being awarded to Hazama Ando Corp it is currently under construction and being built at a cost of US$39 million.
The US$441.5 million part of the loan from JICA for the construction of the terminal and piers has been stuck in talks as authorities are seeking to convert it to a general loan since the bid made for this part of the project is 46 per cent higher than the estimates.
Meanwhile, the detailed design and consultancy work of the project would be carried out by Nippon Koei Services in a joint venture with Japan Airport as consultants.
The new terminal is likely to have a capacity of nine million and Sri Lanka is continuing to attract an increase in passenger numbers as 9.94 million went through in 2017 and by 2022 the airport with the new terminal would be at capacity.
