Hambantota airport opens on March 18
View(s):By Sunimalee Dias
The Hambantota International Airport (HIA) will be opening on March 18 and several flights are tipped to take off and land on that day. However schedules are yet to be prepared in this regard, Aviation Ministry officials said.
Opening day schedules were still being readied and it was too early to announce what flights will be made to the new airport on the day of the ceremonial inauguration, Aviation Ministry Secretary Dr. Ravindra Ruberu explained.
He pointed out that SriLankan Airlines and Mihin would also be operating on that day and that during the ceremony they expect other airlines to operate as well.
FlyDubai and Air Arabia have decided to fly to Mattala while Emirates Airlines is also interested.
Airport and Aviation Services Chairman Prasanna Wickramasuriya told the Business Times that Phase I of the airport with a capacity to handle one million passengers has been completed and would be commissioned on the day of its inauguration.
Stage II of the new airport would be considered later and would be thought of differently, Mr. Wickramasuriya explained adding that there were no plans yet on the rest of the project.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka Ports Authority Hambantota project Engineer Agil Hewa Geeganage speaking with the Business Times said the tank farm at the nearby Hambantota port would be completed by June this year.
He pointed out that the tank farm constructed on a 16 hectare land area within the port would be completed at a cost of US$78 million from the EXIM Bank of China. The only work that needs to be completed would be automation of the tank farm and fire fighting, he said.
The tank farm would be used for storage of aviation fuel; LPG gas and bunkering facilities and currently at least 18 tanks have almost been completed, he said.
“We are going to supply aviation fuel from the Hambantota port to the Mattala airport,” he said.
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