Emirates A380 landing tomorrow at BIA's Code E runway

An Emirates A380 will make a one-off l anding at the Bandaranaike International Airport ( BIA) tomorrow— as a precursor to scheduled A380 flights, officials said— despite the runway not being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO) requirements for the landing and take-off of such aircraft.

ICAO mandates a runway to be Code F, or with a core width of 65m, for A380 aircraft. The BIA runway remains Code E, with a core width of 45m, even after a six-month refurbishment which only saw the ‘shoulders’ on either side being extended. The A380 has a wingspan of over 80m.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) has placed the onus on the Airport and Aviation Services of Sri Lanka Ltd for A380 compliance. Its latest Aeronautical Information Publication ( AIP) supplement says that, according to a compatibility study conducted by AASL, Bandaranaike International Airport “satisfies the physical characteristics [ sic] requirements for A380 Operations on Code-E Aerodromes”.

In media announcements marking completion of renovation, AASL claimed the upgraded runway was a “modified Code F”— despite such classification not existing anywhere in ICAO literature. But it has now accepted that BIA is a Code E airport.

ICAO has held that A380 operations require a Code F runway. ICAO Circular 305-AN/177 states that: “…facilities meeting code F requirements should be provided, in full, on all relevant parts of the movement area whenever new construction or major redevelopment is undertaken. When planning such construction or redevelopment, it may be prudent