7 July 2023 02:13 pm Views - 1297
Sri Lanka is to develop a domestic air transportation network linking several airports, Minister of Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament today.
The Minister said the domestic air transportation network will be developed by linking Bandaranaike International Airport, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport Mattala, Palali Airport Jaffna, and domestic airports in Trincomalee and Batticaloa. “ Through this, it will be possible to attract high-end tourists if we develop a domestic air transportation network,” the Minister stressed.
“We also intend to expand the runway at Palali Airport with Indian assistance. The expansion will be causing minimal impact to the residents in the area. Our intention is to expand Palali so that it could handle A330 aircraft, This will be done with Indian assistance” he said.
The Minister also said a number of international airlines have increased their flying frequencies to Sri Lanka lately. Accordingly, he said China Eastern Airlines have agreed to fly times a week, Air India 17 times a week and Air Asia 11 times.(Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)