Sri Lanka’s northern airport in Palaly to commence operations as a regional airport this month
The Palaly Airport in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province is to commence operations by the end of this month, according a senior official at the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka.
The official has further stated that the development of the Palaly Airport is the first such project that has been funded by Sri Lanka Tourism.
Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, H.M.C. Nimalsiri has been quoted as saying that the airport will be ready by the end of August for operation.
He has further noted that the airport has been funded through monies allocated from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Fund (Rs.1050 million), the Civil Aviation Authority and the Airport and Aviation Services Ltd. (Rs.900 million), and the Indian government (US$2 million).
The Business Times has reported that under the new system the authorities expect about daily flights twice from an Indian Air subsidiary Indian Alliance with the ability to fly in ATR72 or Q400 type aircraft with about 80 seats.
At present only Indian Alliance is said to have sought to carry out operations to Palaly with initially about four flights per week.
“We are yet to see the demand – we are pretty sure of the demand – it’s economically cheaper for most Indian air traffic to fly from Palaly,” Nimalsiri has said.
The airport will operate with one side allocated for civilian and other for military operations by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).
According to Nimalsiri, as per the long term plans authorities hope to accommodate A320 with a 150 seating capacity and later A321 with 150 seating capacity.
OSL take:
The development of the the northern Palaly Airport and the operation of regional flights to the airport from this month would undoubtedly boost Sri Lanka’s economy in the Northern Province. The government of Sri Lanka is engaged in an aggressive development programme covering the entire country. The northern regional airport would also help further strengthen ties between Sri Lanka and India and also help the two countries fully utilise the free trade agreement between the two countries. Foreign businesses/investors looking at doing business with India could explore the possibility of setting up base in Sri Lanka. The northern regional airport would also help boost Sri Lanka’s tourism sector in the region as well.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/13082019/Z_3 |