Ready for flights next year: Mattala int'l airport takes shape

Courtesy - Sunday Observer By Shirajiv SIRIMANE

The Mattala international airport will be opened in November next year and would be the island's second international airport, taking Sri Lankan closer to becoming the Wonder of Asia.

Construction underway at Mattala

AASL Chairman Prasanna Wickramasuriya at the Mattala site

The new Minister of Aviation, Priyankara Jayaratne said that they are carrying out advance marketing for the project and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has already approved several air routes and destinations for the proposed Hambantota International Airport (HIA).
These destinations and routes include Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, China, UK, Germany, Australia, Italy, Singapore, Diego Garcia, Korea, UAE, Maldives, France and Bangkok.
Initial plans were to build an international airport serving the south of Sri Lanka at Weerawila, but the plans were scrapped due to environmental concerns. The site was then moved to Mattala, a small town located 15 kilometres north of Hambantota.
"We are a responsible government with people's needs in mind. Initial studies proved that agriculture and wildlife interests were at stake if Weerawila was chosen as the site for an international airport and this is the reason for the government to shift the venue," he said.
"We have made HIA a green airport", the Minister said. At least 15 percent of energy will be derived from renewable sources (bio mass ,solar, wind). "Existing water bodies and new water features will be developed to keep the water table up at higher levels".
Initially 800 hectares of land was acquired for the project while under the second phase another 1,200 hectares of land will be acquired. "We did not have to relocate any families as this was a barren area", he said.
Under the first phase, basic aerodynamic facilities, runway, air traffic controlling tower, apron, taxiway, passenger and cargo terminals, access roads, accommodation for officials, fuel storage facilities, sewerage treatment plant, water supply facilities, meteorological building, fire-fighting facilities, buildings for catering facilities and car park will be constructed.
"We are also looking at an airport hotel", he said.

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