Sri Lanka’s aviation industry shows promising recovery: Minister

 From left: Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry Secretary K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka Director General P.A. Jayakantha, IATA Regional Vice President Philip Goh and SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nattel – Pic by Lasantha Kumara

• Says SL scored 92% the highest in region for safety and security assessments conducted by ICAO
• Highlights recovery in passenger and aircraft movement, though not reached pre-pandemic levels yet
• Reveals airline income remittance limitations eased with economic recovery
• Intends to implement e-gates at BIA from January as a pilot project with plans for further expansion
• Asserts proposal for e-passports soon to go before Cabinet
• Notes JICA reassure commitment for BIA terminal II, but timeline will depend on ongoing processes of IMF and debt restructuring
• Says market for jet fuel provision liberalised to offer competitive prices in region

By Charumini de Silva

Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva announced yesterday that Sri Lanka’s aviation industry is rebounding at a faster pace compared to the other regional countries, according to statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).  

“As of now, 35 airlines are operating into Sri Lanka with 29 airlines operating to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), five airlines to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) and one airline to Jaffna International Airport. In the last two months, three airlines resumed operations; Air Seychelles, Thai AirAsia and Air China,” he told journalists at the ‘Sri Lanka Aviation Day’. 

Minister de Silva said that in the post-pandemic from 2022 onwards, there is a recovery in passenger and aircraft movement, although it has not yet reached the pre-pandemic levels. Accordingly, international passenger movement has increased by 265.5% to 5.5 million in 2022, whilst international aircraft movement has increased by 76.2% and overflying movements by 143%. 

 As per the statistics, in pre-pandemic years, international passenger movement was at over 9.95 million with a growth of 36%, whilst international aircraft movement had a growth of 20% and overflying movements by 66%. 

Highlighting recent safety and security assessments conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Minister mentioned that Sri Lanka received the highest score of 92% in the region, emphasising the importance of maintaining these standards to further enhance the industry’s advancement. 

The Minister announced that airline income remittance limits have been lifted in line with the economic recovery, following a meeting with General Sales Agents (GSAs) to resolve industry-related difficulties and improve their operations. 

He also shared plans for enhancing airport services, including the introduction of e-gates at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) as a pilot project in early January. “With support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an additional 12 e-gates will be added for smoother airport operations from next year,” he added. 

In addition, he said the proposal for issuing e-passports will soon be submitted to the Cabinet, aiming for implementation early next year. 

Minister de Silva noted that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) reassured its commitment to construct Terminal II at BIA as a prioritised project. However, the timeline will depend on the ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) process and debt restructuring.

He also said that the jet fuel market is now liberalised, abolishing the monopoly the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) enjoyed earlier. 

 

“A two-acre land has is allocated at Port of Colombo for this purpose and it will include a 24,000-ton litre tank. Within the next two years, a pipeline connecting the Colombo Port to BIA will be to offer the most competitive fuel prices in the region,” the Minister said.