Work has started on expanding Terminal 1 at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku said, with the project expected to lift the terminal’s annual handling capacity to 10 million passengers.
The works include 36 new check-in counters and a fully equipped new lobby area, NewsFirst reported on Monday.
Contractor and timetable
Maga Engineering Ltd. has begun mobilising for what is planned as a one-year project, Kodithuwakku told Aviation Voice. Three further projects tied to the Terminal 1 expansion are expected to be awarded within the next two months, with all four targeted for completion inside 12 months.
Cabinet awarded the departure terminal contract to Maga Engineering on 14 July, at a value of US$7.26 million and Rs. 3.77 billion, both excluding VAT, funded from the general treasury. Maga was selected as the lowest substantially responsive bidder from three international bids.
The capacity target has moved
The 10 million figure is lower than the target reported when the upgrade was launched in June, when the same deputy minister described a Rs. 15 billion loan-free renovation raising Terminal 1 from a design capacity of 6 million to 15 million passengers a year. Neither of Monday’s reports explains the change, and it is not clear whether the 10 million figure covers only the current phase or the full programme.
Terminal 1 currently handles close to 10 million passengers a year against a 6 million design capacity. Construction of a second terminal under Japanese assistance has been delayed repeatedly, leaving the Terminal 1 works as the main near-term relief for congestion at the country’s principal international gateway.
