The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayaka is to acquire 100 hectares of land to build a parallel runway required to handle growing aircraft traffic that could soon saturate existing capacity.
A post-war economic and tourism boom has led to an increase in the number of airlines flying to the island as well as in the frequency of flights.
Increasing traffic made the need for a parallel runway at the island's sole international airport at Katunayake more urgent,Eexecutive Director of Airports and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka), Johanne Jayaratne said.
He said 32 airlines now use the airport, just north of Colombo, with Aeroflot expected to resume flights soon.
The airport now handles 3,354 monthly scheduled flights, excluding charter flights, he told a recent forum.
The single runway has a capacity of 42,000 aircraft movements a year.
"We're now doing over 30,000 and will be close to maximum capacity," Jayaratne said.
"We now handle 12 aircraft movements an hour during peak times. Our capacity is 25. It will catch up on us pretty fast. So we're actively pursuing the acquisition of land to ensure we can have a parallel runway."
A parallel runway close to the present one was not desirable owing to safety concerns, making it necessary to acquire about 100 hectares of land.
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