Aerospace Diary

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  APRIL 15, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Thanks to Chinese funding, Sri Lanka now has a second international gateway, Mattala Rajapaska International Airport, and Sri Lankan Airlines is among the first carriers to commit to operating there. (Photo: Sri Lankan Airlines) April 15, 2013, 2:15 PM Sri Lanka’s second international airport–the $200 million China Exim Bank-funded Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport ( MRIA )–opened last month and has already attracted national carrier SriLankan Airlines and its subsidiary, SriLankan Cargo; Sharjah-based budget carrier Air Arabia; and flyDubai. Emirates Airlines, Korean Airways and Sichuan Airlines all plan to start services soon, while British Airways and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways have also “committed” to establish a presence at  MRIA , located in the district of Hambantota, some 100 miles southeast of the capital, Colombo. Looking to attract ...

Neelam Mathews Dec 30, 2011 Sri Lanka 's state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has invited bids to build an aviation fuel terminal being built with Chinese finance for an international airport being constructed at Hambantota International Airport at Mattala in the South of the island.   A CPC tender notice said the petroleum firm was looking for a turnkey contractor for the "design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning works" for the aviation fuel terminal. The terminal has to be built in 12 months. The bids close on February 2.  The estimated cost of the terminal, which includes storage facilities and a hydrant system $31 million.