GOALS

• Increase runway movement from 11 to 17 departures per hour at BIA.
• Facilitate an optimum structure to ensure strong network of airports.



Bandaranaike International Airport

1. Convert a section of the Lotus Tower retail area into an express international flight check-in zone, with luggage drop-in services.
2. Introduce automated immigration gates (e-gates) enhanced with facial and fingerprint biometrics for fast check-in.
3. Increase the number of self-service check-in kiosks at the BIA from 8 to 20 to issue boarding passes for passengers without luggage.
4. Introduce 30 additional check-in-counters at BIA immigration to the current 57 check-in-counters in order to mitigate the bottleneck created at check-in-counters.
5. Convert the VVIP lounge and its boarding gates at BIA to handle budget airline operations.
6. Implement BIA app to have real-time flight details, terminal maps, taxi details and booking, restaurants, and airport hotel details.
7. Expand BIA with 16 additional aero-bridges.
8. For the buses that travel between the boarding gate and the airplane at boarding gates without aerobridges, allow institutions such as banks to provide Cobus low flow buses without a cost in return for branding those buses by the institution for a long-term period of 15 years.
9. Reduce the current Aircraft Turnaround Time at BIA of 60 minutes to 25 minutes for Budget Carriers, to increase the runway movement from the current 11 to 17 departures per hour, during peak hours.
10. BIA at present has a mesh fence surrounding its premises and is the only airport in the world at present to do so. Landscape and build and electric fence enabled with sensus technology for enhanced security.
11. Establish a regulated and a well-organised taxi service at BIA by issuing duty free vehicle permits for taxi owners with special vehicle registration plates and allocate the operation and technology to an established taxi service company.
    Maintain 2 types of taxis i.e. cars and vans.
    Issue duty-free vehicle permits for 900 taxi owners with special vehicle registration plates. Regulate the taxi services to ensure compliance and safety.

Infrastructure

1. Transform Ratmalana, Palali, and Mattala airports to international budget airline hubs.
2. Transform Ratmalana, Palali, and Mattala airports to international budget airline hubs,
   • Palali
   • Trincomalee
   • Baticaloa
   • Koggala
   • Mattala
   • Digana, Kandy
3. Replace the current Ratmalana airport terminal with a larger prefabricated steel building built within one year, which will provide an improved layout for passenger handling and movement.
4. Lengthen the runway at the Ratmalana Airport from the current 1773m to 2400m to the east side. This will enable landing of type-D aircrafts i.e. aircrafts with 120 seat capacities. International airports with runway lengths similar to ratmalana airport are,
   • London City International airport- UK- Runway length 1500m.
   • Antwerp International Airport- Belgium - Runway length 1500m.
   • Bocas Del Toro Isla Colon International Airport – Panama- Runway length 1500m.
5. Resume operations at the Mattala International Airport.
6. Develop airports at Koggala, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee for domestic flight operations.
7. Construct a domestic budget airport at Digana, Kandy within 3 years.
8. Introduce minimum 50-seater aircrafts for travellers to move within Sri Lanka.
9. Attract more budget airlines (low cost carriers) to operate to Sri Lanka, to accommodate low cost carrier passengers as there are 55,335 budget rooms available in the country.
10. Facilitate cargo airlines to fly internationally from Trincomalee, Batticoloa, Koggala, and Digana (Kandy).
11. Remove the luggage handling monopoly in budget airlines and allow budget airlines to execute their own luggage handling.
12. Match the prices of fuel, landing, parking, airport taxes, aerobridges, and luggage handling charges to that of Malaysia.
13. Provide free landing and parking facilities to all cargo airlines to increase exports.
14. Classify all airport charges as peak and off-peak and maintain a lower fee during off-peak hours.
15. Increase the number of direct flights to the top 20 European destinations that bring large volumes of tourists to Sri Lanka, such as United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands and Italy.
16. Synchronise domestic flights at airports and their schedules with the respective international connective flights.
17. Introduce dedicated fast track immigration service lines for VIP, first and business class passengers.