Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) handled 4,748,481 passenger movements between January and June 2026, in a mid-year update pointing to continued growth across the country’s main international gateway.
According to figures released by the airport and reported by Ada Derana, BIA recorded 30,659 aircraft movements over the six-month period, while a further 424,856 transit passengers passed through the Katunayake hub.
The airport said 1,146,573 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka during the first half of the year, underscoring the ongoing recovery of the tourism sector, a key source of foreign exchange for the economy.
Sharing the operational summary, BIA said it continued to “connect people, cultures and opportunities” while supporting the island’s aviation and tourism industries. Airport authorities added that they were confident of reaching greater milestones in the second half of 2026.
The performance comes despite intermittent disruption to regional air travel, including recent flight diversions caused by airspace closures linked to tensions in the Middle East. BIA remains Sri Lanka’s busiest airport and the primary entry point for both inbound tourists and the country’s large overseas workforce, whose remittances and travel underpin much of the passenger traffic.
