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Covid-19 restricted travel : Over 500,000 passenger movements

26 Oct 2020

  •  Arrivals and departures from March till October this year 
By Sarah Hannan Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Pvt.) Ltd. (AASL) stated that it has handled over 500,000 repatriated passengers from two of its airports during the period from March to October. “The resurgence of Covid-19 this time around has greatly affected the airports and seaports and their surrounding towns. The Bandaranaike International Airport and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport continued to operate under the regulation and supervision of the Sri Lankan health authorities to repatriate Sri Lankans living abroad,” AASL Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications Dr. Sumith De Silva noted. Accordingly, the Bandaranaike International Airport has handled 6,971 aircraft, 515,659 passengers, and 109,995 metric tonnes of cargo since March 2020. The Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport has handled 250 aircraft, 13,325 passengers, and 69 metric tonnes of cargo during this period, fulfilling its national responsibility and making an active contribution in this challenging sphere. The re-emergence of Covid-19 has now prompted the AASL to ensure the safety of its employees and its customers with necessary action taken from the outset, as mentioned below, to continue operations.
  • Suspension of the opportunity provided to air travellers who have completed the full quarantine process in Sri Lanka under the programme of repatriation of expatriate Sri Lankans from the Duty Free Shopping Complex at the arrival terminal, subject to health regulations 
  • The public lounge and public viewing area for air travellers was temporarily closed
  • Disinfection of all public areas and office premises within the entire airport 
  • All necessary measures were taken within the airport premises to minimise the risk to the outside world from staff members who directly contribute to the operational process of the airport 
  • Provision of essential safety equipment to the maximum extent possible to company staff at a cost of over Rs. 10 million per month 
  • Provision of the opportunity to facilitate the rest of the community in a proper manner with the state-of-the-art laboratory at the airport premises
Even in this pandemic situation, the sudden suspension of airport operations and airline suppliers, along with other more developed countries, had a major impact on the national economy of Sri Lanka. It has dealt a major blow to the tourism industry, related direct and indirect employment opportunities, and all other related livelihoods depending on foreign exchange inflows, such as taxi services, tour guides, and the hotel sector.  


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