Sri Lanka to expand immigration counters at BIA to meet increasing demand
The Morning: A decision has been made to expand the number of immigration counters in order to cater to increased tourist arrivals, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, CAA Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sagara Kotakadeniya stated that considering the increased number of tourist arrivals to the island, a decision had been made on Wednesday (18) to expand the number of immigration counters in order to facilitate the arrival process of tourists.
“We are trying to expand the number of immigration counters in order to facilitate the increased inflow of passengers and ease congestion upon arrival,” he stated.
Commenting on the dire need for this move, he noted: “This is the point of welcome. Whenever you travel to a different country, the first impression is at the airport. Therefore, we have identified that we need to expand the number of immigration counters.”
He added that the airport’s internal arrangements would also be restructured in the next couple of months in order to streamline the immigration process for tourists arriving in Sri Lanka.
Kotakadeniya further revealed that they were also considering streamlining the departure process for tourists by setting up a dedicated area for self check-in kiosks with a separate emigration counter.
“The suggestion is to have a separate counter for kiosk machines in order to release passengers from that gate,” he said.
However, he stressed that no decision had been made yet regarding this proposal.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the tourism sector experienced a remarkable resurgence in 2025, with over 1.05 million international arrivals recorded by April, driven largely by a significant influx of visitors from India, Russia, and the UK.
This surge in tourism is spearheaded by a steady influx of visitors from India, which continues to dominate the ranks, with 210,074 Indian nationals contributing the highest number of arrivals.
Other major contributors include Russia, with 110,818 visitors, and the UK, accounting for 98,158 tourists.
As the momentum from the early part of the year carried into May, Sri Lanka witnessed 132,919 foreign arrivals, marking an impressive 18.5% increase compared to May 2024.
This upward trajectory is further highlighted by early June’s figures, with 21,293 tourists arriving in just five days.
OSL take:
The growth in Sri Lanka’s economy and several key sectors like tourism and overall business as well as trade have in-turn resulted in the growth and expansion of the country’s airport and aviation industry. The ongoing developments in Sri Lanka that have made the country an emerging business destination in the region have made external and internal connectivity by land, sea and air a key component. It is in such a backdrop that the Sri Lankan authorities have launched several programmes to further develop and uplift the country’s airport and aviation industry. With increasing numbers of foreign travelers arriving in Sri Lanka on business, trade and tourism, the increasing demand to expand the airport and aviation industry and related sectors have presented many business/investment opportunities for foreign businesses/investors exploring opportunities in the region. These opportunities range from the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities to the introduction of the latest technologies adopted by the global aviation industry. The development and expansion of the airports in Sri Lanka, domestic and international, present a host of lucrative business ventures. Given Sri Lanka’s strong position in becoming a regional hub and the improving business environment indicate the increasing business potential of the country’s airport and aviation industry as well as related sectors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250625/Z_3 |