Sri Lanka looks at temporary terminal to ease congestion at Bandaranaike International Airport
Daily FT: In a bid to address congestion and enhance capacity at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva announced plans for the construction of a temporary terminal at a cost of Rs. 6 billion.
Speaking to journalists, he said that the temporary terminal will cater to an additional 1.5 million passengers till the completion of the second terminal.
“I’ve allocated Rs. 6 billion to put up a temporary terminal and the tender process is underway. It is expected to be completed within 10 months,” he said, adding that there is ongoing repair work to maintain the status quo of the airport.
The Minister said by the end of the year, the additional space provided by the temporary terminal will alleviate congestion at BIA.
At present, the airport handles around 9 million passengers annually, exceeding its capacity of around 6 million.
The Minister also outlined that Japan has assured its commitment to building the second terminal, but explained that the delay in funding is due to ongoing debt restructuring processes.
“Japan has assured the Government of enhanced loans for the construction of the second terminal, which is expected to take at least two years to complete,” de Silva added.
SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage said the development of the second airport terminal is a national priority. “Despite additional repairs and efforts to accommodate more passengers, the airport is fully packed during peak hours. Therefore, development of the second terminal should be the Government’s priority,” he asserted.
Pathirage noted the need to expand passenger handling capacity to accommodate the predicted growth in tourism and airline operations. “Given the projections for tourism and increasing airline traffic, we must expand the capacity to at least 20 million passengers,” he added.
OSL take:
The growth in Sri Lanka’s airport and aviation industry as well as the tourism industry have created new business/investment opportunities in the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities required by these industries to meet the growing demand. Sri Lankan authorities are already engaged in an airport expansion programme as part of the country’s development programme. However, the temporary terminal is being mooted to ease the congestion at the airport due to the increase in airport traffic due to the increase in foreign travelers visiting and passing through Sri Lanka. With Sri Lanka fast becoming an emerging business destination in the South Asian region, there would be an urgent need to expand the airport infrastructure in line with the fast growing airport and aviation as well as tourism industries. The growing business potential in Sri Lanka’s airport and aviation industry should be explored by foreign businesses/investors looking at doing business in the country.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20240306/Z_1 |