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Aviation chief says all airlines agreed to day time renovation
All airlines had agreed it was best to close down Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) runway for resurfacing during daytime. This includes the national carrier, which now claims that its requests for night-time renovation were ignored.
The runway will be closed to traffic between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm from January 6 to April 6, 2017. “We consulted everybody, including the Board of Airline Representatives which SriLankan Airlines chairs,” Civil Aviation Director General H M C Nimalsiri said. “They agreed that closing the runway during daytime would cause least inconvenience to the public.”
SriLankan Airlines recently told the Sunday Times that it was compelled to cancel a massive 620 flights because the authorities had disregarded the carrier’s request for runway renovation to be done at night. The corresponding drop in aircraft utilisation would cause the company’s revenues to plummet, Chief Executive Officer Suren Ratwatte said. SriLankan operates an average of 75 flights into and out of BIA daily.
“We would have preferred that the work be done at night,” Mr. Ratwatte maintained. “But the agencies doing the work decided to do it during the day, despite our objections.”
Mr. Nimalsiri rejected this and said the national carrier had consented to daytime closure. “And it is not only SriLankan that we must take into account,” he continued. “Others are equally affected, including airport operators, airlines, passengers, cargo and hoteliers. We looked at all aspects and decided daytime closure would be most suitable because it was acceptable to most.”
It was also safer to carry out construction during daylight hours. “We have to give priority to engineering requirements and do a proper resurfacing,” Mr. Nimalsiri explained. “We cannot afford to do it again in the short-term.” The decisions pertaining to runway renovation were put down in writing and approved by Cabinet.
The total cost of runway surfacing is estimated to be Rs. 7.2 billion. It is being financed totally by the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. The consultants are a joint venture between Netherlands Airport Consultant and Engineering Consultants Ltd. The contractors are a joint venture between China National Aero Technology International Engineering Group (CATIC) and Shanghai New Era Airport Design and Research Institute Co Ltd of the Civil Aviation Authority of China.
The runway is at least ten years overdue for a resurfacing. It was constructed in 1996 with a lifespan of 20 years with 10,000 aircraft movements a year. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had repeatedly flagged the need for renovation. At present, the runway shows “alligator cracks” — a common type of distress in asphalt pavement — and could lead to a major failure of surface condition.
The authorities had studied whether the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MIRA) in Hambantota could cater to daytime BIA traffic during the closure. But that facility could handle no more than five aircraft movements an hour, thereby making it an unviable option. It was also too far for passengers to travel by road. BIA serves an average of 170 total aircraft movements a day. Sixty of these are heavy aircraft, 100 are medium while 10 are light aircraft.
All non-scheduled and charter aircraft operations will be disallowed at BIA and may operate from MRIA. Airport users, especially passengers, will have to strictly adhere to check-in times.