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From left: Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Vice Chairman Rajiv Sooriyaarachchi, State Ministry of Aviation and Investment Zone Development Secretary Janaka Sri Chandragupta, Maldives Ambassador Omar Abdul Razzak, Aviation and Development of Export Zones State Minister D.V. Chanaka, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Chairman Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) G.A. Chandrasiri, Director for Domestic and Regional Airports – CIAR, JIA, BTIA Deirdre De Livera, Nawaloka Aviation General Manager Ramly Vilcassim and Head of Business Development Shamith Wijethilake – Pix by Kithsiri de Mel
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Scheduled international regional flights are to recommence after 54 years, from Colombo International Airport Ratmalana (CIAR) from 27 March with flights between Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Flight operations will be carried out by Maldivian, the national airline of Maldives.
Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (AASL) Chairman Major General (Rtd.) G.A. Chandrasiri said the flight operations are a result of a series of discussions with the national carrier of Maldives over the course of eight months.
“Our aim as the Aviation and Airport Services is to make sure the Ratmalana International Airport is going to be a regional hub, especially for the South Asian region,” he said, adding that discussions have been held with other airlines as well.
Flight operations will commence with three flights a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with a 50-seater Dash-8 aircraft. Tickets are already for sale. Flights from Maldives will depart at 6 a.m. and reach Sri Lanka at 8:40 a.m. and flights to Maldives will depart at 9:40 a.m. and arrive at 11:20 a.m.
AASL states that banking, hotel and taxi services, communication services, and dining facilities have been established and enhanced at Colombo International Airport Ratmalana. “Duty-free shopping will also be made available on arrival and departure,” AASL Director for Domestic and Regional Airports CIAR/JIA/BTIA and CATD Deirdre De Livera said. She added that a concession fee on embarkation tax is also being considered at the moment.
Nawaloka Air Services Head of Business Development Shamith Wijethilaka said ticket prices inclusive of taxes start at Rs. 40,700 for one-way trips and Rs. 65,000 for return trips. Nawaloka Air Services is the General Sales Agent (GSA) for Maldivian Airlines in Sri Lanka for passenger and cargo.
“We will be serving refreshments on board. General baggage allowance will be 20 kg and hand luggage will be five kg,” he said, adding that the flight will be open for check-in one and a half hours before departure and counters will close 40 minutes before departure. This gives passengers a great deal of convenience and flexibility, Wijethilaka added.
“With this operation commencing on 27 March, we will be connecting to all domestic airports in Maldives. We will be the first to give seamless connection via Maldives Male International Airport,” he said.
According to Wijethilaka, holiday packages and medical tourism will also be introduced. Plans are also being made to connect the domestic network with the expansion of CIAR.
“We are starting with three flights a week and I am sure this will go up to daily flights. I can assure you that we will go to daily flights. We also have a plan on promoting tourism to Maldives and Maldives to Sri Lanka,” Nawaloka Air Services General Manager Ramly Vilcassim said.
While recommencing international regional flight operations from Colombo International Airport in itself is a significant point in Sri Lanka’s aviation industry, so is the fact that AASL will be carrying out ground handling at CIAR for the first time.
“As per the Civil Aviation Act, only two groups can carry out ground handling in Sri Lanka; SriLankan Airlines and Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka). Until today, only SriLankan Airlines did ground handling but we have decided that, in future, Airport and Aviation Services will carry out ground handling at the Colombo International Airport Ratmalana,” Aviation and Export Zones Development State Minister D.V. Chanaka said.
International regional flight operations from CIAR will support the development of the tourism industry, he said, explaining that tourists tend to combine travel between Sri Lanka and Maldives.
CIAR will now be used for aviation training and domestic flights as well as international regional flights.
However, operations will be limited to flights with a capacity of up to 100 passengers and airtime of up to 4.5 hours due the size of the runway. This will draw focus to countries like Maldives, South India and Bangladesh. This, in no way, limits international travel to and from CIAR to residents of these countries only as those who travel to and through the countries can also visit Sri Lanka as flight operations expand at CIAR.
“We are currently carrying out renovations, but we cannot increase the length of the runway,” D.V. Chanaka said, adding that space constraints and aviation guidelines prevent further extension of the runway. However, ongoing renovations are expected to be completed by the end of the month.
According to De Livera, certain infrastructure development and upgrades were needed to make it possible to recommence international regional flight operations. However, given the country’s economic situation, it was decided to use a minimal budget with available resources wherever possible, she said.
“An approved terminal enhancement project of approximately Rs. 500 million was put on hold on account of the current economic situation. However, other essential projects were carried out and are currently in progress,” De Livera said.
According to AASL, the Eastern Apron and Taxiway project will be completed this month, after which, an overall increase of 30% in airport operations is expected. Other development projects at CIAR include parameter fencing of the Attidiya land area of 42 hectares, which was completed at a value of approximately Rs. 42 million, and waterproofing of the terminal building roof, which has also been completed.
Highlighting the importance of international regional flight operations from CIAR, De Livera said a pre-COVID count estimated that nearly 12,000 Maldivian nationals were residing in and around Colombo, in close proximity to CIAR.
This is mainly due to a large number of Maldivians using Colombo as an educational hub. However, the flights to and from Maldives will also target tourism and AASL aims to activate scheduled services between cities such as Jaffna, Batticaloa and China Bay as soon as possible.
Speaking about the aviation history between Sri Lanka and Maldives, High Commissioner of the Maldives to Sri Lanka Omar Abdul Razzak said the countries have mutually achieved much progress in their aviation sectors.
“However, operations have been centred from Bandaranaike International Airport till now and this is why air flights between Ratmalana and Male are such a welcome addition, indeed a worthy milestone for aviation in both countries,” Razzak said.
He added that this would open opportunities for people of both countries to travel and interact with each other.
