in any case, kudos for opening up a new airport .. though it looks as great as any second level airport in other asian countries ..

I just wonder how many pax can be held if there are, like I saw in CMB - 7 flights departing at the same time ..

And while I am not a pilot, I need a Follow-me, if I land in HRIA !!!!

Thanks to Dailymirror !!!

Ya Banu Malli.. 4R-ADF was the very 1st a/c to land with the president.. then 4R-ADG landed as UL226 from DXB, Air Arabia A320 landed after that & finally Fly Dubai B737-800 came. After some time ADG went back to CMB during the ceremony

Did 4R-ADF fly from CMB-HRI?

what appears in Sabre GDS !!!

---------------------------------------------------------------
SRI LANKA/S 2ND INTL AIRPORT -MATTALA RAJAPAKSE INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT- *HRI* WILL BE OPERATIONAL FM 18TH MARCH 2013.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, for the CMB-HRI- to elsewhere fligths, I wonder how they will uplift fuel. If the plane departs at MTOW, in CMB, they cannot land in HRI with same weight - a better choice would be HRI-CMB-tech stop for fuel- go anywhere..

Would the powers be thinking on the same lines or not ???

Yes Sanji... ADG was the 2nd to land from DXB (1st commercial/revenue flight to land in HRI)

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport

new airport is in the wrong place !, would have been far better in Galle or closer to that place, NO good at all for the majority of tourists to beach resorts in SL

LOL Aren't you live in under our Sun and moon? This air port is not exactly for tourist attractions. This whole project is joining for mass devolopment of Southern Uva and Eastern provinces too.Also mega city of Hambanthota in track.The first well planed international standard city in Sri Lanka.

Typical UL marketing...k...now do the same with CMB as well and do a distance comparison utilizing time taken to travel

LOL probably you must be living in planet Mars; I am sorry I do not think Dave mention airport is a tourist attraction; unfortunately I do not think any one build any airports as a tourist attraction. As Dave mentioned it is promoted as tourists can easily access beach resorts; yala and arugam bay. please check the MRIA website http://www.mria.lk/?page_id=206 ; ...there is a cricket stadium down there wonder how many cricket games are played on that stadium...In Sri Lanka money must be growing in trees...now I have to go and read and watch about Chinese well planned mass developed cities; unfortunately they are now called ghost cities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm7rOKT151Y

The last time I was in Sri Lanka (end of last year)...the destinations listed were much closer from Hambantota than from Colombo....and as for time taken it was much shorter...traffic, state of roads....and other considerations...

Sri Lanka needed a second airport...and it had to be international...the notion of a domestic only airport in Sri Lanka doesn't make business sense at this stage....

in my opinion, personally this should have come online initially as a Cargo and maintenance airport with a few Charters.... in a few years once the expressway stretched to Hambantota and the port picks up on transhipments etc., it could have been transformed...the issue in Sri Lanka is that some of these projects are coming on delayed and not in chronological order....currently there is a rush to develop infrastructure which is haphazard, which is why it appears like White Elephants....

...development can't only be based around Colombo, it's not possible....there are many other things to take into consideration like availability of land, price of land....and yes the notion that everything is based around Colombo has to change if Sri Lanka is to move forward...townships need to transform...there has to be growth areas in other parts of the country....

Im not saying that the current government has done right in everything it's done and doing (CEB, CPC, Mihin, Sri Lankan Airlines misuse) but some of these projects are aspects Sri Lanka has been considering since the 1960s...like the Hambantota Harbour...the expressways...the transhipment hubs....the power projects (alot more has to be done here)....this is the first government ever even to move in such a direction....

Take a more balanced view before mouthing off to every single thing happening in Sri Lanka, but you're entitled to your opinion....although I think you maybe missing out on some of the ground realities...its your loss

When I read your statement you are contradicting your self...no development cannot center around colombo; true Sri Lanka does require second airport; I have never said no for that....but question is location, location and location

BTW I am not missing any ground realities...neither do I wear roses coloured glases

thats my main issue too with the New Airport.

With regard to the airport...there is only one other place it would be feasible to put the airport....it would be to the north of the country....but ultimately with regards to a transhipment hub it would make sense to build it next to the hambantota harbour.... like I mentioned...once the connectivity gets to Hambantota....it will naturally start to develop....with more people moving their lives over....it won't happen overnight...industry needs to develop before all that and that will take time...

The North is getting the airport as part of the Palali restoration project...and it will be an ideal position to cater to South India etc.

im not wearing rose-coloured glasses maybe you are wearing some......and I'm not contradicting myself, I admit the failing on the part of the government but also the transformation taking place within....this sort of transformation won't happen again (it's a once-in-a-generation change) and everything will be gradual thereafter....

so it's whatever it means to you...