Sri Lanka Aviation

Sri Lanka to exempt embarkation tax at Mattala airport till June 2027

Sri Lanka’s cabinet has decided to extend an exemption of airport tax at Mattala International Airport till June 2027, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said.

Some airlines, including Azur Air has expressed interest in operating to the airport, Minister Jayatissa said.

Sri Lanka has earlier exempted the embarkation tax for passengers at Mattala airport to promote more traffic.

Sri Lanka will deploy a special strike force to keep wild elephants away from a loss-making airport in a bid to encourage airlines to use it, the government said on Oct 8.

Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the cabinet of ministers had approved the establishment of a wildlife unit with 18 guards to ensure elephants and other wild animals do not stray onto the runway at Mattala.

Sri Lanka’s Katunayake International Airport is facing congestion, with a new terminal delayed due to an economic crisis. (Colombo/Oct08/2025)

ECONOMYNEXT & Strait Times

ALQ is getting a new painting job.

Is this true?

Hi guys, seems like Batik Air Malaysia has pulled out from operating to CMB from DEC 11 onwards, cannot find the reservation on the website and for some reason it seems like they have stopped promoting Sri Lanka as a new destination. Can someone please confirm this?

Thanks guys.

As far as I know, CMB only has 22 immigration and emmigration counters, and currently CMB is set out to roll out the new E-Gates, ive seen them getting installed but they haven't been operational, hopefully they will operate soon and ease congestion, rumours are going around that they are due to operate at the end of this month or in November.

Bad news! Very sad most of the slot requests are being rejected ! Is the limited capacity due to shortage of check in counters? I agree ! I wonder why CMB is not allowing newly applied foreign airlines to operate during off-peak times?

Aircraft Movements at CMB
Period : 01-October 2025 to 25 October 2025

TIME	TOTAL WEEKLY FLIGHT ARRIVAL PER WEEK	TOTAL WEEKLY FLIGHT DEPATURE PER WEEK	TOTAL WEEKLY ARRIVAL + DEPARTURE FLIGHTS PER WEEK
00		50	50
01	7	22	29
02	29	18	47
03	19	30	49
04	32	21	53
05	42	17	59
06	18	7	25
07	7	49	56
08	36	26	62
09	40	21	61
10	2	36	38
11	47		47
12	24	12	36
13	8	51	59
14	6	19	25
15	30	6	36
16	41	15	56
17	40	29	69
18	19	60	79
19	8	14	22
20	20	21	41
21	19	24	43
22	61	25	86
23	32	14	46
Grand Total	587	587	1174

Edited to change the format to support Mobile users.

There are times during the day when it is very busy and other times with very few flights (eg early morning, mid afternoon)
If newcomes are guided to those off peak times then the airport can handle more, with minimal pressure.

Aeroflot back in Colombo

Domestic flights with 70-seater aircraft could take off in six months - Peter Hill

Sri Lanka could see the launch of a scheduled domestic airline service using 50-70-seater aircraft within the next six months, a move that could solve a long-standing barrier to tourism growth, according to aviation veteran and former SriLankan Airlines CEO Peter Hill.



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Beira Lake Water Aerodrome Launched for Colombo-Katunayake Seaplane Services

Cinnamon Air’s demonstration flight to reinstate Beira Lake as a Water Aerodrome departed from Katunayake International Airport and touched down at the Cinnamon Lakeside Pier on Beira Lake today, under the patronage of Hon. Bimal Ratnayake, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports & Civil Aviation, bringing domestic air connectivity right into the heart of Colombo city.

https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/bre...oogle_vignette

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As fare as I know, UL won't Take those two jets and the lessor is Airbus Financial Services.

Strong Airline Demand for 40 New Colombo Slots Puts BIA Capacity Under Pressure - Deputy Minister of Tourism

Bandaranaike International Airport’s Limited Capacity Challenges Tourist Arrival Targets!

Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) is currently operating beyond its designed capacity due to strong airline demand with approximately 40 new slot requests per week for the upcoming winter season, most of which have already been rejected due to limited capacity.

Speaking at the International Tourism Leaders Summit 2025, held on 2nd October 2025 at BMICH under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism, highlighted that both scheduled and charter operations are contributing to this surge in demand.

“Some airlines have considered Mattala Airport as an alternate option, though many have not,” the Minister noted.

He further stated that BIA was originally designed to handle 6 million passengers per annum, but now accommodates over 10 million annually. “It is essential to proceed with the long-overdue expansion. I personally believe BIA should have had two runways by now, after six decades of operations,” he added.

Prof. Ranasinghe emphasized that addressing these infrastructure and capacity challenges remains a top priority, noting that the tourism sector is also facing direct challenges in achieving its tourist arrival targets due to the current airport limitations.

Edited

Those two aircraft were supposed to join with Azul air and they cancelled the plans. (That’s why it’s greyed out from the system). And the new lessee is yet to confirm and it should appear on the planespotters. (🤞for UL but need confirmation from someone who knows about this)

Is the Air Belgium A339 expected to join Azul Airlines? According to PlaneSpotters, both aircraft are listed as PR-ANR and PR-ANE, but marked as 'Not Taken Up'

https://www.planespotters.net/airfra...ervices/e5o02v

there is an entry below the last main entry which appears in a light text mentioning "Azul PR-ANE". Dont know if it means that its pending to be delivered to Azul.