Mattala turns morbid as only customer Flydubai exits

Saturday, 9 June 2018 00:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Chathuri Dissanayake

As Flydubai, the only airline operating to Mattala, cancels its flights, the Government is now looking at alternative options to keep the airport running.

Minister of Transport Ashok Abeysinghe said that the Ministry will negotiate with the Foreign Employment Ministry to set up a regional office of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLFBFE) in Hambantota to arrange for migrant workers from nearby districts travelling to the Middle East to take a flight from Mattala instead of going to Colombo.

“We are trying to see the possibility of sending all migrant workers from Badulla, Monaragala, Hambantota, Galle and Matara to fly out from Mattala,” he said.

The Transport Ministry hopes to work with the Foreign Employment Ministry to arrange charter flights to Mattala for the foreign workers.

One of the reasons listed by FlyDubai for cancelling its daily flight till November was that the route was uneconomical for the airline, the Deputy Minister confirmed. According to him, during the March-October season, only an average of 15 passengers use the daily flight.

Abeysinghe hopes the proposed program will address the issue.

This week, the Cabinet gave the airline approval from the Government to cancel its flight to the Mattala Airport which received a single flight per day for five days a week, citing frequent bird attacks and uneconomical outcomes, Transport Ministry Secretary G.S. Withanage told Daily FT.

The airline had filed an appeal to cancel its flights to the airport, built during Rajapaksa’s Government, at least during the dry season, March to October, due to frequent bird attacks which causes damage to the carrier and delays the flight.

“A few weeks ago, there was an incident involving a Peacock which led to an 8-hour delay of the flight, and passengers complained. It is a problem for the airline, and the damage caused has been significant,” Withanage said.

Earlier, the Airline flew seven times a week, but later negotiated to fly only five times a week.

According to Deputy Abeysinghe, the airline has to resume flights after November. However, he acknowledged that the move makes little economical sense with “an average of 15 passengers” per flight.

The Government has been on the lookout for an investor for the troubled airport to offload the financial burden of maintaining what is now considered a white elephant. Further, the Government still has to repay the Chinese loan taken to build the infrastructure as part of the Hambantota Harbour Development plan. The Indian Government submitted a proposal to develop the airport as a joint venture with the Sri Lankan Government, but negotiations have not moved forward on this regard.