National carrier says smooth check-in process in place
Despite the closure of the runway during the daytime hours beginning last week, SriLankan Airlines services and operations at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake have proceeded seamlessly, with minimal inconvenience for both inbound and outbound tourists, the airline said on Wednesday.
According to independent verification, there was both chaos and smooth operations and it depended on the times of flights. “During peak hours 4.30 pm-8.30 pm and 4-5 am-8 am there was some congestion while off-peak hours were smooth,” one travel agent said. Earlier this week the Tourism Minister John Amaratunga visited the airport with officials and appeared to have come up with a plan to ease the congestion.
The national carrier said the current smooth synergy between the Civil Aviation Authority, Airport and Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (AASL), SriLankan Airlines (the ground handler) and the defence authorities resulted in a ‘business as usual’ approach, resulting in operations continuing smoothly despite the ongoing renovation of the runway.
“As the key parties to ensuring uninterrupted services at the international airport, all partners have benefitted by cooperating fully with each other whilst ensuring strong team work and proactive attitude. Their combined foresight is helping the new arrangements to work smoothly. This renovation is a massive undertaking and marks the first time a renovation like this has taken place, which has required significant adjustments for all stakeholders. However, the stipulation by the authorities for passengers to report to the airport five hours before the flight has helped significantly,” the media release said.
Airline CEO Suren Ratwatte commented, “I commend the support, patience and understanding displayed by all stakeholders, as we do our best to ensure uninterrupted services. I would especially like to thank all the airport employees for their untiring efforts to tide us over this challenging period by sustaining their commitment to enhanced customer care. I am also grateful to all our passengers for arriving early at the Bandaranaike International Airport in order for us to facilitate their travel with minimum hassle and delays.”