Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport to be closed at night to minimise losses

Wednesday, 4 March 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga yesterday said that the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) would be shut down at night. The Minister told a news conference that the decision was made since the Mattala airport did not generate an income to the State. “We are having discussions to close Mattala Airport during the night. The Government has to spend about Rs. 250 million for maintenance. This maintenance has to be done at the cost of our taxpayers,” Ranatunga was quoted as saying by the media. However, the Government has not made any decision to completely shut down the airport. The MRIA was constructed by the previous regime using millions of dollars taken on loan from China. The national carrier SriLankan Airlines in January decided to stop all flights to Mattala as operating flights to the second international airport in the former president’s home constituency of Hambantota were a huge drain on the already heavily debt-laden carrier.

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