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First day after re-opening of airports

02 Jun 2021

  • BIA sees 859 arrivals and 14 flights

By Dinitha Rathnayake   The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake received 859 arrivals and 14 flights yesterday (1) after re-opening, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. Director Shehan Sumanasekara told The Morning yesterday. From among the passengers, 77 tourist arrivals have been reported so far, including Sri Lankan origin foreign passport holders, and persons from the US, Germany, Myanmar, and The Netherlands. All arrivals were sent to certified hotels and Government run quarantine centres, according to Sumanasekara. Meanwhile, the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) received one flight from Qatar Airlines, which had 120 passengers. In terms of departures, 90 departures were reported from the MRIA yesterday along with 500 from the BIA. Sri Lanka re-opened all its international airports for inbound travellers from all countries except India and Vietnam from yesterday. The entry of all passengers to Sri Lanka was suspended on 21 May considering the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country. All arriving passengers will be subjected to 14 days of quarantine as per the instructions of the health authorities. Those with a travel history to Vietnam (including transit) during the past 14 days will not be permitted to disembark in Sri Lanka with immediate effect until further notice. The passengers with a travel history to India including transit within the last 14 days will also not be permitted to arrive in Sri Lanka. The ban also applies to Sri Lankans and other travellers who have stayed in India and Vietnam for the past 14 days or have used airports in those countries for transit.  


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