Found this video on youtube,
First landing after runway renovation katunayake airport - 4R-ANA

Photos - http://www.hirunews.lk/158561/all-fl...d-night-photos

New taxi way?

Yeah I think they carpeted that aswell and installed lights also I think.

Good news ! Any special flight flying to take the construction workers and machineries back to China and Netherlands.
Below news say 230 machinery were used. May be they need An124 / 225 to take them back ?


I can notice that most of the grass on side of the runway and taxi way are dead due to construction work. Hope they will put it back and make it nice.

I think Japanese are coming in July / August to start the construction of new terminal at CMB. it will be nice to see completion of work. Do you know exactly when Jica is going to start the construction of new terminal?

How did they brought machines to the place when they begin construction work? I don't think that a AN-225 is possible to land on BIA!

The AN225 has landed at airports much smaller than CMB. With the recent runway renovations it should be a walk in the park.

Most likely on a container ship.

A typical Sri Lankan project; I am not sure why everyone is so interested in A380's...money would have better spent on overlay and constructing rapid exit taxiway

Haha would be really funny if they weren't so incompetent. They screwed up a once in 20 year opportunity to make it a Code F Runway.

According to their plans in their annual report, rapid exit taxiways were meant to have been constructed. This might be done as part of the next phase.

$50 Million is quite a bit more than the previously quoted $30 Million - both figures are excessive imho. In all fairness the $30 Million was given as an 'estimate'.

There needs to be an investigation into this - especially as it is yet another Epic Fail.

As with all these types of projects I expect zero transparency and a lot of people pocketing money at the expense of the people of Sri Lanka.

No upgrade for BIA despite US$ 50m renovation



By Namini Wijedasa
Despite three months’ renovation work which disrupted airline schedules, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) will not upgrade the Bandaranaike International Airport’s runway in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation-accepted classification for runways capable of accommodating new large aircraft such as A380s.

Notwithstanding its recent widening at a cost of US$ 50 million, the BIA runway will remain Code E or one that can facilitate aircraft with a wingspan of more than 52 metres but less than 65 metres. The A380 aircraft has a wingspan of more than 80 metres. This is because the width of the core runway at BIA is still 45m and it was only the “shoulders” on either side that were extended during the renovation work.

In media announcements, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd bizarrely claimed that the BIA’s upgraded runway was a “modified Code F”. Such classification does not exist anywhere in International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) literature, which only refers to Code E or Code F runways. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has repeatedly said the BIA runway was capable of accommodating the A380.

A Code F runway requires a core runway of 60m–and not 45m–with adequate strength to bear the weight and pressure of new large aircraft. It should also have inset runway edge lights (the BIA runway has elevated edge lights) and ‘shoulders’ with adequate bearing strength to provide an overall runway and shoulder width of 75m. It must also have additional runway centre line guidance.

full read http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170409/new...on-236608.html

Any news on the proposed new terminal? Did a Google search myself, but nothing seems to be happening on that topic.

Sri Lanka’s first airport is set to get busy again with more commercial operations set to take hold as state plans get underway to develop the hub for the Colombo Airport Ratmalana as an international facility with required certification with no more “bananas” to hamper the progress.

The Ratmalana airport is set to become the next biggest development as it gears to be upgraded to entertain charter and scheduled commercial international and domestic flights.

The airport is set to become a 3C certified facility that could cater to A319, ATR, DH08 and other similar aircraft once the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) carries out an audit and ensure compliance with international standards to obtain aerodrome certification, Airport and Aviation Services Airport Manager for Colombo Airport, Ratmalana Aruna Rajapaksha said in an interview with the Business Times at his office last week.

The runway at the airport needed to be maintained with obstacle clearance, mandatory manual, aircraft emergencies which are part of the compliance requirements that require international certification.

Read more .......

SriLankan Aviation mulls major expansion drive in Mattala


Sri Lanka Aviation College, SriLankan Airlines training arm, is looking at a major expansion drive and is also looking at setting up an Aviation College in Mattala Airport.

SriLankan Aviation College General Manager Primal De Silva said that they will set up this college from revenue within the company and also through bank loans. “We are ready to invest but need more aircraft movements at Mattala to fully engage in the project.”

He said they have also acquired a 737 200 cargo aircraft for training and now are on the look out for a six seater Cessna aircraft.

Elaborating on their other plans he said that they will also tie up with three universities in England and Australia to offer more engineering courses. “We will also open two regional Aviation Colleges in Jaffna and the Eastern province next year. The students will come to Colombo in their final part of the exam to Colombo for practicals.

De Silva said SriLankan Aviation College is a self funding institution and today has around 20% of foreign students who help to generate additional forex to the country and the airline.

He said that they are one of the world’s 25th IATA accredited Regional Training Partners and only such centre in the region.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest aviation training body in the world, has selected Sri Lanka as the venue for its flagship annual event, the IATA Global Training Partner Conference 2017, on May 15 and 16 at Cinnamon Grand. “We will provide around Rs. 1.5 million to be the main sponsor for the event allowing us to get regional mileage from the event.”

The conference is the largest aviation training conference in the world and is the most dynamic event for networking in aviation training partners worldwide.

IATA selected Sri Lanka from among many other nominees for its Global Training Conference based on the above criteria and by recognizing the efforts of SriLankan Aviation College and SriLankan Airlines in developing a regional platform for aviation training.