Sri Lankan government has decided to waive landing and parking fees for International flights to Mattala International Airport for two years, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga announced. The Minister said that the waiver of these fees was a strategy to attract more people and international airiness to the Mattala International Airport in the South.
Minister Ranatunga said negotiations have been concluded with Lion Air, Ukraine Airlines, Indigo Air, Air India, Air Vistara, Salam Air, Emirates and Maldivian Air regarding more flights to Mattala Airport. As a result, eight foreign airlines have started utilizing Mattala Airport.
Mattala International Airport is an international airport serving southeast Sri Lanka. It is located in the town of Mattala, 18 km from Hambantota. It is the first greenfield airport and the second international airport in the country, after Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. Initially, several airlines flew to the airport, including SriLankan Airlines which established a hub. During COVID-19 pandemic, the airport has seen an increase in traffic due to repatriation, charter and seafarer flights.
To enhance and facilitate the economic and tourism growth in both the Southern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka, a new greenfield airport was developed to serve as an alternative air transport link to the country. The airport features a 12,000-square-meter passenger terminal which can handle one million passengers per annum, a cargo terminal with an area of 10,000 square meters and a 35-meter-tall air traffic control tower.
