Tourism Ministry seeks Treasury and CB assistance to resolve BIA expansion issues

• Airport authorities told to closely monitor progress and resolve any issues expediently 
• BIA’s passenger handling capacity to expand to 15 million per annum, following expansion

Issues have cropped up in the execution of the extension project of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayaka, the Ministry of Tourism said, and a summary of the same is to be put forward to the relevant government authorities in the coming days for solutions.
While not specifying the exact problems that have emerged in completing the construction works that are underway at the BIA, the Tourism Ministry in a statement to the media yesterday said special discussions would be held with the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry to provide some assistance.
At a meeting held with the officials of the Tourism Ministry and Airport and Aviation on Monday (14) to discuss the progress of the Package A project at the BIA, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga had acknowledged and pointed out issues that have emerged during the construction works of the extension effort.

At the meeting, Minister Ranatunga asserted that the government’s position is that development projects in the country should not be hampered due to the implications stemming from the pandemic.
He went on the stress that despite challenges faced, the contractors of the extension project must not delay any construction work.
The authorities were also given firm instructions to closely monitor the progress and resolve any issues at the earliest airport, so that the project will reach completion on time.
The BIA Package A Project is the second phase of the Katunayaka Airport Expansion Project. The construction was scheduled to begin in 2014 and reach completion within three years, but was delayed.
On completion, the passenger handling capacity at the BIA will expand to 15 million per annum.
The expansion was facilitated with the loan extended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Special Terms for Economic Partnership.
JICA’s total financing for the expansion of the airport is about Rs. 110 billion (for both components)