Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) has been further prepared for emergency landings as showery conditions continue to affect operations around Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka Director General Captain Daminda Rambukwella said on Sunday.
A coordination committee has been formed bringing together the CAA, the Sri Lanka Air Force and the Disaster Management Centre to respond to any in-flight emergency or sustained BIA disruption, Rambukwella told NewsFirst. The arrangement formalises Mattala as the standing diversion alternative for the country’s main international gateway during the current south-west monsoon spell.
The decision comes as the Met Department warns of a week of heavy showers across the south-west, peaking on May 28 with rainfall of 80–100mm in several districts. BIA’s surrounding road network has already taken a hit — earlier this week the Avissawella–Hanwella stretch of the Colombo–BIA corridor was rerouted as the Kelani and Kalu basins overflowed.
Mattala — Sri Lanka’s south-eastern airport, long under-utilised since opening in 2013 — has been positioned as a contingency runway in earlier monsoon seasons, but a formal multi-agency committee is the most institutionalised diversion mechanism declared this cycle. The airport has also been in the news this month for a June 8 expression-of-interest deadline and a global investor workshop.
The adverse weather has already affected 28,933 people across eight districts, the Disaster Management Centre said on Sunday.
Source: NewsFirst.
