Aviation Minister pledges to lift BIA standards sky-high

Transport and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva pledged to make the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) one of the most efficient, cost-effective and attractive airports in the region.

With the Government having ambitious plans to cater to 2.5 million tourist arrivals by the end of this year, the Minister highlighted that it was necessary to uplift the capacity and efficiency of the airport to be competitive with other regional airports.

Noting that there were complaints from airlines that airport service handling charges were the highest in the region, the Minister noted that he was now working to find solutions to the issue.

“High costs make it difficult to compete with other airports. We are working on making BIA an efficient, cost-effective and attractive airport in the region,” he added.

The Minister asserted that they were also considering the open sky policy which was heavily criticised, but assured that security would be paramount.

In terms of the expansion plans of the BIA, he pointed out that although JICA came forward with support to fund the apron and the second terminal at the airport unfortunately the bids were 47% higher than the engineers’ estimate.

“Having to follow transparent procedures, it is not easy. However, we will ensure that these facilities will be expanded,” De Silva assured.

He emphasised that even though Sri Lanka did not have the financial capacity to purchase an A380 aircraft, it was flown by a Sri Lankan pilot named Captain Udaya Tillekaratne. The Minister said that the country should export quality professionals to the world.

He also asserted that the capital expenditure to run a national airline was very expensive for a small economy like Sri Lanka’s but it was important and a matter of pride to have the national flag flying high.