By Sarah Hannan  The announcement of permitting charter and international flight operations from Saturday (26) by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) has resulted in an increase in the frequency of the stakeholder meetings held on the matter in recent weeks. Apart from the necessary preparations, attention is being paid to putting in place the necessary safety precautions and protocols.  Last week, the Minister of Tourism as well as the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) hinted that the airport reopening could possibly be pushed towards January 2021, based on the recommendations that are anticipated by the health services authorities.  Several outbound flights commenced operations allowing Special Cargo Flights to 17 destinations to support Sri Lanka’s export industries during this time of crisis.  Accordingly, three weekly flights to Male; two weekly flights to Chennai, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Doha, Dubai, Melbourne, Beijing, Guangzhou (Canton), and Shanghai; and one weekly flight each to Mumbai, Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka, Frankfurt, and Tokyo (Narita) have commenced operations since the beginning of December.  The flights to London, Tokyo (Narita), Melbourne, and Hong Kong will operate for both passengers and cargo.  Passengers who wish to travel using these new flights are reminded that they should ensure that they are eligible to enter the respective countries depending on the restrictions imposed by regulatory authorities in each country.  Passengers who intend to travel under this scheme have been requested to check their respective border control or emigration authorities or contact their travel agents before purchasing any tickets.  CAASL Chairman Upul Dharmadasa last week said the CAASL was to disseminate the relevant directives to the travel industry in due course announcing the opening of the country’s airspace.  

All set for reopening 

The Sunday Morning contacted Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. (AASL) Chairman Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri to inquire about the health and safety protocols that are in place.  “We are unable to tell an exact date as to when the inbound flights allowing leisure travel would commence, as the discussions are still underway on some of the procedures that are to be followed. I can assure that at our end we are geared up and ready to start receiving arrivals,” Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri explained.  He also said that since the airports closed down in April, and following the publication of health guidelines, the airport staff have been provided with comprehensive training on how to handle the passengers and their luggage.  “Even though the commercial flights did not operate, Sri Lankans were arriving at our airports amidst the first and second wave of Covid-19. Therefore, I can assure you that all departments are well prepared and equipped to commence operations at whatever day the Government decides to open the airports in both Katunayake and Mattala,” Chandrasiri elaborated.  When asked on how the airport is managing its staff attendance, Chandrasiri stated that only one-third of the staff is called to work to ensure that they are following the Covid-19 work regulations and to ensure that they have sufficient staff to continue operations. Should any of the roster staff get infected with the virus, they would have to be sent into quarantine.  “Once the airports open for controlled but regular operations, we will bring in the rest of the staff on a roster basis,” Chandrasiri added. 

Strict regulations to be followed from 26 Dec.

Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga on Wednesday (16) stated that the Opposition MPs are trying to sabotage the Government’s attempts to restart the tourism industry, by fear-mongering the public. Ranatunga affirmed that all measures are in place to reopen the airports on 26 December, following strict health guidelines. “One of the key foreign currency revenue earners for Sri Lanka is tourism, and we have now estimated that at least 2.5 million people who were directly or indirectly involved in the tourism sector have either lost their jobs or are going bankrupt due to the airports being closed for 10 months straight.” Elaborating on the method that would be followed when leisure travel is to open up for foreigners and the airport starts to receive passengers, Ranatunga said: “We are following a strategic plan even in reopening the airports, and from 26 December onwards, for about 30 days we are piloting the reopening process. Necessary guidelines have already been issued to all the stakeholders that are involved, and they are being audited as to whether the necessary precautions are followed and health guidelines are practised in their establishments.” Ranatunga reiterated that while resuming tourism is one of the objectives of reopening the airports, the priority will always be to first repatriate the migrant workers who have lost their jobs and are stuck overseas due to the pandemic. Further, the Ministry of Tourism and the CAASL arrived at a decision, stating that only 500 tourists would be allowed to visit Sri Lanka during the first round of permitted inbound flights.  “All the tourists will be subjected to PCR tests and referred for quarantine at the respective hotels. The tourism industry will commence operations gradually and we are to follow the travel bubble concept; the tourists will have to follow the itinerary that they agreed to when booking their holidays and visit the SLTDA-approved tourist sites only,” Ranatunga told The Sunday Morning. Meanwhile, in November, the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was fitted with new advanced PCR testing machines (an RNA/DNA extractor and two light cyclers) and 39,000 Covid RT-PCR test kits.  The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) assisted the Government in improving the Covid-19 testing facility at the BIA. This facility at the point of entry can help the Government in bringing back migrants safely as well as in opening the airport for tourists in due course. The advanced equipment has significantly increased the BIA’s testing capacity by enabling up to 1,300 PCR tests a day with a turnaround time of approximately four hours. 

Integrated monitoring and control guidelines

State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics, and Covid Disease Control Dr. Sudharshini Fernandopulle, following a discussion on reopening the country for tourism and travel, said: “We understand that the country’s economy is in a difficult place and restarting the tourism industry needs to be done immediately. However, given that we are still amid a pandemic, the health sector of this country has a key role to play in ensuring everyone’s health and safety. The State Minister stated that a tourism-friendly health operation should be carried out as in other parts of the world and that the possibility of conducting PCR tests at nearby tourist hotels should be explored to avoid unnecessary delays at the airport during sample collection and rapid antigen testing. “This should in no way affect the Covid-19 control systems currently in place at the airport and would not create unnecessary congestion. Moreover, a strategic plan should be formulated that would not have an additional impact on the Covid-19 control activities currently taking place in the country,” Dr. Fernandopulle added. The State Ministry said that it is planning to hold discussions this week with the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, the hospitality industry, and private hospital laboratory authorities, so that an integrated Covid-19 prevention and control process can be formulated and would assist in the monitoring process.

Notice for passengers travelling to and from SL 

The national carrier SriLankan Airlines recently reiterated the restrictions imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) in light of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.  For passengers arriving in Sri Lanka Suspension of visa in Sri Lanka: The Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka, in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, imposed the following conditions: 

• All types of travel authorisations (ETA), entry visas, landing endorsements, multiple entry visas, and resident visas already granted to all the foreign nationals issued prior to May 2020 will be temporarily suspended and they will not be allowed to enter Sri Lanka until further notice 
• All valid resident visa holders with CAASL approvals may enter Sri Lanka 
• All foreign passport holders, including ex-Sri Lankans holding foreign passports, need to obtain fresh visas, along with CAA approvals, to enter Sri Lanka 
• Fresh visas for Sri Lanka will only be issued at the Department of Immigration and Emigration and need to be processed and obtained by a local party on behalf of the foreign nationals

Exceptions to visa requirement: 

• All Sri Lankan passport holders with CAASL approvals may enter Sri Lanka. 
• All spouses and children of Sri Lankan passport holders with CAASL approvals may enter Sri Lanka

Mandatory travel requirements

• Foreign nationals arriving should carry a negative Covid-19 PCR test report (English) done within 96 hours of embarkation 
• Sri Lankan citizens/dual citizens should carry a negative Covid-19 PCR test report (English) done within 96 hours or a rapid antigen test done within 48 hours of embarkation 

Mandatory PCR tests on arrival  As per the directive issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation of Sri Lanka (DGCA), all passengers arriving at the BIA are required to be subjected to a PCR test conducted by a Sri Lankan hospital. Passengers are required to bear all costs for the PCR test and other related expenses at the time of arrival.   As a measure to safeguard the travellers, flights arriving in Sri Lanka shall carry passengers with negative Covid-19 PCR reports in English, where the testing shall be conducted within 72 hours prior to embarkation.  For transit passengers  The maximum permitted transit time at the BIA for any passenger transiting via the BIA should strictly be not more than 12 hours. The concerned passenger must strictly have a confirmed onward connection out of the BIA to an onward destination.  Passengers shall ensure not to go out of the airport in a transited country on their way to Sri Lanka. If the inbound passengers go out of the airport in another country for more than 72 hours, they shall obtain a new Covid-19 PCR report from that country, conducted 72 hours prior to embarkation.