Sri Lanka’s second international airport at Mattala, Hambantota is to begin construction on 27th November. The airport will serve the Southern Province of Sri Lanka and will consist of one runway. The project is due to be completed in 2011 4Q.
Photo by Airport Authority of Sri Lanka
Project Details
IATA/ICAO : N/A
Runways : One, 3500×75m
Taxiway : 370mx60m
Parking capacity : 10 apron stands
Handling Capability : Category 4F aircraft
Cities Served : Hambanthota, Ambalanthota
Approx Location : 6.281N 81.125E
Passenger Terminal : 10,000sq.m
Cargo Terminal : 1000sq.m
Expected annual movements : 6250
The airport is situated in very close proximity to the Hambanthota Port and this together with numerous industrial factories in the South would make this airport an excellent cargo hub.
The new airport’s location, in Mattala, will provide very easy and short access to a number of natural reservoirs and game parks in Sri Lanka – most of which are situated in the South. The airport will also be an excellent entry point to the close by beaches. These factors will make this airport a favourable choice to tourists visiting Sri Lanka.
However, Hambanthota airport is unlikely to have a high yield, at least in the beginning. One of the key reasons for this is that Hambanthota is still very much a under-developed rural area. It is no secret to say that this area being current President’s hometown could have played a part in the selection. Anyway, the government is rapidly building new infrastructure in the Southern Province and this will have a positive effect on the new airport.
The airport is located near the HAMBA waypoint, which is a connecting point for many international airways such as the L897. This will make the proposed airport a favourable stop and a safe alternate airport to aircraft on these routes, specially cargo flights.
Potential
The airport’s key potential will be cargo, at least initially. The airport will also be able to cater a good amount of tourist traffic. However, it is unlikely the airport will get hold of any O&D/VFR traffic for a few years from the launch. A key factor for this is the aforementioned poverty in the local catchment area. It should also be noted that the airport is situated far ( around 60km ) from the capital, Colombo. Nevertheless, the airport will be a lucrative cargo port with a good connectivity to the nearby port.
The Future
Unfortunately, the success of local aviation sector lies in the hands of politicians. The proposed airport is a single runway airport with a single non-airbridge terminal and almost no space for any kind of future expansion. This will leave Sri Lanka with two single runway medium sized airports, which are almost size restricted. If relevant ground infrastructure for this airport is not provided, it could well end up as a white elephant.
The best choice for the government could have been to expand the existing Colombo Airport ( CMB ), which suffers from a lack of capacity and a short runway. It is my personal opinion that, making our existing airport a hub – for which it has the potential, first and then going for a second airport will be a good choice. Lack of infrastructure at the rest of domestic airports remain a big issue as well.
However, the construction work has already begun. Let us wish the best for this new airport to succeed in its goals !
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Very impressed. Keep up the good work.