Sri Lanka opens first private air terminal

30 October 2013 03:01 am Views - 4672

Sri Lanka opened its first private sector-operated domestic air terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) recently.

The new ter minal has been developed by Saffron Aviation (Pvt.) Ltd which operates Cinnamon Air, a BOIapproved joint venture with an investment of USD 10 million jointly owned by John Keells Holdings, Mercantile Merchant Bank and Phoenix Ventures, the holding company of Brandix.

The airline has been in operation since July this year with daily scheduled flights to tourist destinations within the island.

The new terminal is located in a picturesque garden within the BIA. The airline also has its own hangar at the airport, equipped with state-ofthe-art maintenance facilities.

Cinnamon Air has invested Rs.20 million on the new terminal and the airline operates a fleet of three Cessna aircraft, two amphibious and one wheeled, each offering eight passenger seats and daily scheduled flights as well as charter and scenic flights on demand.

“Cinnamon Air, carried over 900 passengers over the last three months and the projected break-even period is three years,’’ Cinnamon Air Director Romesh David said. “Setting up the airline has enhanced the national tourism infrastructure,’’ he added. Departure and arrival times of Cinnamon Air’s flights from and to the BIA will be synchronized as closely as possible with the arrival and departure times of SriLankan Airlines and most of the other major international carriers serving Colombo.