HAMBANTOTA AIRPORT PROJECTAirport type Civilian
Owner Sri Lankan Government
Operator Airport and Aviation Services
Serves Hambantota
Location Mattala, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
Website Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4000 Asphalt
The airport, which was designed according to recommendations of the International Airports and Aviation Organisation, is expected to facilitate over 800 foreign passengers at peak hours.
Despite the pomp and ceremony, the airport is much needed, bearing in mind the growth of the tourism industry, particularly since the end of the war which, along with other factors, has fuelled speculation of a massive growth in the island’s tourism sector – perhaps sufficient to become the driving force of the of the Sri Lanka economy in the not too distant future.
Currently Sri Lanka is served by only one international airport – the Bandaranaike International Airport, which although offering a high quality of facilities and being the hub of national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines and the national budget airline Mihin Lanka, suffers from a lack of capacity. It also has another shortcoming as an international airport, namely that it shares a runway with nearby military Katunayake Airbase. And there are also plans to widen the taxi ways and runway shoulders at Bandaranaike, allowing larger commercial airliners to land there.
Ground access at the new airport will be available from Hambantota, Embilipitiya and Thanamalwila, while it has been reported that the project itself will be constructed on 800 hectares of bare land with an investment of somewhere in the region of Rs. 22 billion, including foreign funding. The airport, in the first stage, will consist of one runway and a taxiway, which in the second stage will be expanded to allow bigger aircraft such as the enormous Airbus A380 to takeoff and land.
Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services, Prasanna J. Wickramasuriya, has claimed that the airport would be constructed under a green concept and would be eco-friendly with several lakes and a green landscape. He also said Sri Lankan engineers would handle the designing and implementation of the project, thus saving money for the country.
The airport, in the first five years, is set to concentrate on air-freight operations, in line with the cargo operations of the Hambantota harbour, which would be opened during the same period.
One of the main reasons to select Hambantota was apparently that the project is expected to stimulate development and infrastructure in the area, thus increasing the standards of life for less affluent people living in Hambantota and nearby Matara, Moneragala and other districts.
The project is part of a wide range of measures by the present government to improve the national infrastructure during recent times, with the addition of a second airport coming at just the right time considering the projected surge in tourism, and thus air travel to the country that many expect.
Other measures that the government is involved with (some of which would also benefit the tourism industry) include the construction of 20 flyovers, including the Kelaniya Flyover between Colombo and Kandy (with phase one and two completed in a record 136 days), the increase and improvement of the nation’s expressway system, numerous bridge building projects including the Kinniya Bridge - the longest bridge on the island constructed with help from the Saudi Arabian Government, along with numerous hospital and school projects.
There will also be improvements made to the country’s electricity generating capacity with the construction of new power stations such as the Karawapitaya LNG Plant – the largest power plant ever built on the island, and other schemes such as the Sampur Coal Plant and the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, built with help from China. Perhaps the most famous project (besides the new international airport) is the construction of the Hambantota Port, a state-of-the-art port built in Karagan levaya, which will be located a mere six miles from the main East to West trade route, the world’s busiest shipping lane, seeing almost 100,000 ships pass by annually. As such, the completed port stands to become the gateway from South Asia to the rest of the world for merchant sea traffic. The construction of Hambantota Port is supported by improvements to both Colombo and Galle Harbours.
These improvements to the national infrastructure are, of course, important as they will hopefully boost economic activity as a whole on the island and increase its capacity to attract even more overseas business, and in turn help to tackle some of the country’s problems of poverty which still unfortunately affect many of its people.
The Hambantota International Airport Project is no exception, but more than anything it will help Sri Lanka to cope with a suspected tourism blitz that many have predicted with the end of 30 years of war.
Sri Lanka as much as any country in the world stands to become a huge attraction for tourist traffic in the near future, and for this, a new international airport (along with increased infrastructure and tourist capacity) is not only important, but vital if this fantastic opportunity for the nation is to be fully realised.
The Mattala International Airport is an international airport currently under construction in Mattala, in the Hambantota District in the south of Sri Lanka. Upon completion, the Mattala International Airport will be Sri Lanka's second international airport, joining the Bandaranaike International Airport. It will primarily serve the city of Hambantota, along with the southern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
Initial plans were to build an international airport serving the south of Sri Lanka at Weerawila, but these plans were scrapped due to environmental concerns. The site was then moved to Mattala, a small town 15 kilometers north of Hambantota. Construction on the $200 million first phase of the airport began in November 2009, and is expected to be completed by December 2011, with the first flight scheduled to land in January 2012.
Benefits
This project is expected to stimulate the development and infrastructure in the area, raising living standards of the people not only in Hambantota, but in nearby Matara, Moneragala and other close districts It will also benefit other parts of the country. It will also have a positive impact on tourism in the Southern Province. Unlike the previous Weerawila International Airport project this one will not affect agriculture in the area according to a government report. However it is not yet clear whether Yala National Park, Kalametiya and Bundala National Park would be affected in the long run even though it has been environmentally approved.
The proposed extension of the rail link from Matara to Kataragama and the completion of the Colombo-Matara Highway in next two years time would boost travel to the Southern Province. The new airport would serve as a cargo hub to the Eastern Province along with the Port of Hambantota which will be opened around the same time. It will also serve the Hambantota International Cricket Stadium which will host two fixtures at the upcoming 2011 World Cup.
• Establishment of the International Airport at Southern region will serve as the alternate International Airport to Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake.
• New Ventures such as general aviation and non-aviation sports facilities would be available with airport as availability of low cost land and services.
• This Airport could be ideal to provide airport related industries such as Aircraft paintings, Aircraft work shops, engine repair shops, training schools a flight training facilities at low cost service .
• Growth of agriculture related industries due to improvement of cargo . This will enhance the economy. Cargo will be a lucrative business for this location as it is covered with a huge agricultural processing zone which produce vegetables, fruits and dairy products etc.
• Tourism and hospitality industry would be flourished with the integrated development of port and airport in the southern region.
• Create indirect job opportunities by way of additional business ventures that will form as a result of airport operations.
• Create Aviation related Industries.
• Implementation of Non aviation related industries.
• Create direct semi-skilled and skilled employment opportunities.
