Daily NEWS Srilanka

Minister of Transport and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva informs that Katunayaka Bandaranaike Airport would be closed for 8 hours a day for 3 months beginning from January 6th, 2017. 

The Minister announces that this step has been taken in view of modernisation activities to be effected to the only runway in the airport utilised for landing and departures of airplanes. The Minister who said that this step has to be taken because the span of 20 years of a runway erected in 1986 has now come to a close according to international regulations and therefore he explained that this is an inevitable step that has to be carried out. This runway is 3350 metres in length and 45
metres wide. 

He mentioned that operations of the airport would be suspended from 8.30 in the morning till 4.30 in the evening starting from January 6th to April 6th and that measures have been adopted to revise the time schedule during the closed period. The Minister in this context stated that during that time period 16 flights of Air Lankan and 4 other flights would be suspended. He further mentioned that airplane companies have rejected usage of Mattala Airport 

as an alternative until the runway is modernised and that only a few Sri Lankan Airline flights would be directed to that airport. 

The renovation activities of the runway would cost a sum of Rs. 7.2 billion and the renovation procedures would be carried out by a Chinese Company under the supervision of a Netherland Company, it was understood. The Ministry requests from all flight passengers who are to travel overseas from the first week of January to report at the airport 5 hours in advance instead of the 3 hours in force at present, because of this renovation activities.