By Dinitha Rathnayake
The Batticaloa Airport, which was established in 1958 under the Aviation Department, is to be rapidly developed as a fully equipped domestic Airport, The Morning learnt.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga who visited the Airport yesterday (1) said that the Batticaloa Airport should be developed as an attractive travel destination for tourists while developing the Eastern Province as a tourist destination.
The Batticaloa Airport was handed over to the Air Force in 1983. In 2012, the runway of the Airport was upgraded and it started functioning as a domestic Airport.
The Batticaloa Airport handled 3,980 passengers in 2018, 3,373 in 2019, and only 723 in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while 1,180 flights were operated in 2018, 864 in 2019, and 174 in 2020. It has a runway length of 1,368 m and a width of 30 m covering an area of 348 acres. The Airport can handle up to 60 passengers on a daily basis.
Although the Batticaloa Airport has been gazetted as an international Airport for many years, it has not been developed to a level which is required for a domestic Airport; however, over the next two years, the Airport is to be upgraded with the necessary facilities for domestic flights.
Ranatunga also advised the officials to prepare a suitable plan for this purpose and to list the basic facilities required for air operations.
The Government is also prepared to resume direct flights between Jaffna and Chennai, India, which were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ranatunga previously said that the resumption of flight services between Palaly and Chennai will be expedited under the same air travel biological bubble concept that is expected to be launched between India and Sri Lanka.
Batticaloa Airport to become domestic Airport
02 Jul 2021
Batticaloa Airport to become domestic Airport
02 Jul 2021