Sri Lanka to have another international airport

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  

The Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry plans to develop Hingurakgoda Airport, also known as the Minneriya Airport, as an international civil airport.  

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva expressed these ideas at a special discussion held at the Ministry auditorium yesterday and said the administration and operation of the airport are currently under the Sri Lanka Air Force.  
During the discussion, the Minister expressed confidence in the ease of facilitating visits to Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Dambulla by transforming Hingurakgoda into an international civil airport. 

 
This transformation is aimed at increasing foreign exchange earnings by attracting more foreign travellers and tourists to these historical, scenic and cultural sites, the minister added.  

A field study should be conducted in order to take immediate measures to improve and develop the airport for the landing and takeoff of A330 aircraft, the minister said. 

 “Extending the current 2,287 m runway up to 2,800 m, construction of an access way to the airport runway, setting up an air navigation system, construction of an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and a passenger terminal at the airport were decided as essential measures,” he said.