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Tuesday, 25 May 2021 01:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
With domestic travel restrictions being extended further, the reopening of the airport is still under review, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said yesterday.
Previously, the authorities expected to reopen the airports on 31 May after a 10-day closure of the airport, in a fresh move to curb the spread of COVID-19.
However, due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, the Government yesterday announced that travel restrictions within the country have been further extended till 7 June.
“No final timeline or decision has been taken by the Government on the reopening of the airport,” Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga told the Daily FT.
He said the discussions are ongoing and a decision with regards to opening the airport will be announced in the next couple of days.
“We can only resume operations when the Health Ministry and COVID-19 Prevention Task Force Committee approve it,” Ranatunga added.
The Minister also said the top priority of the Government is to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The continuous rise in global COVID-19 infections remains a key concern for the travel and aviation industry which are the most hit by the pandemic.
After a near 10-month closure, Sri Lanka on 21 January re-opened borders to resume inbound international travel to the country. Since then, over 13,000 tourists have arrived while complying with health and safety guidelines.
Prior to the COVID outbreak, around 35 airlines operated direct flights to Sri Lanka. However post-COVID, only Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Singapore Airlines, China Eastern, Ukraine Airlines, Air Astana, Oman Air, Gulf Air and Fly Dubai have resumed flights to Sri Lanka.
