'Fly by night' at BIA from January to April

Airlines, operating the most number of flights in and out of Colombo, it would be the most affected by the daytime closure.

Asked to comment, SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Suren Ratwatte said he believed no final decision had been made and SriLankan was working on its schedules.

Travel industry officials said there was a likelihood of some flights operating out of Mattala airport in an emergency and also Mattala being used for emergency landings.

The CAA statement noted that the closure was being carried out by taking into consideration factors such as the minimum number of movements, seasonal weather conditions, contractor’s requirements and safety implications.

Based on studies and assessments conducted by the local and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) experts, it was clear the runway required major resurfacing. This would be the first time overlaying or re- surfacing is carried out on the BIA's runway since its construction in 1986.

CAA Director General H.M.C. Nimalsiri told the Sunday Times that they were scheduled to hold the Slot Committee meeting later this month to work out how the carriers would operate during the period of closure. He said it was entirely up to the airlines to come up with solutions and explained that while some would reschedule their flights others were likely to cancel them.

Sri Lanka Association of Airline Representatives (SLAAR) Secretary Ruha Jasinghe said that from the point of view of the airport this runway upgrade was required and was “way overdue”.

She explained that in view of the type of aircraft being mainly hybrid, the runway needed to be upgraded but they would be looking at ways to minimise inconvenience to passengers.

Other airlines when contacted said they were holding talks on rescheduling of their flights. FlyDubai Commercial Manager Gihan Silva said the airline was holding discussion with the CAA on the flight changes while it has increased its flights to Mattala to four daily from the previous three daily in view of the future potential at the airport. FlyDubai is the only airline to use Mattala.

Etihad Airways General Manager Kumar de Silva said they would not be affected since they were operating day flights only during the summer.

Last year, the BIA handled 61,537 flights and upto June this year the airport has handled 33,347 flights.