AASL Chairman assures guidelines will be followed strictly

There will be no negligence from the side of the airport, assured Airport and Aviation Services Limited (AASL) Chairman, Major General (Retd.) G.A. Chandrasiri, as Sri Lanka readies itself to reopen both the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) for tourists next Thursday (January 21).

“A specific programme is in place and it will be followed, with operations being launched at midnight on Wednesday (January 20),” he said.

The Sunday Times learns that the two airports are expected to get 3,300 passengers per day inclusive of those arriving on repatriation, cargo, charter and transit flights.

Mr. Chandrasiri said that while this number will include about 750 repatriates per day (there were only 300-400 this week at the BIA and the MRIA), the others will be tourists from around the world except the United Kingdom (UK).

Explaining the arrangements, he said that the repatriates will be sent into 14 days of quarantine at a state centre or designated hotel, depending on their choice.

“Under the other category will be ‘tourists’ which would also include passengers coming in for commercial purposes and other programmes. They would be handled by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and come under different procedures than the repatriates. They would be in a bio- secure bubble and will be taken to hotels,” said the AASL Chairman.

He said that the tourists should arrive with an RT-PCR negative report taken 96 hours prior, while undergoing testing on Day 1, Day 5 and then Day 14.

All airport staff coming into contact with the tourists will wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), said Mr. Chandrasiri, adding that currently four BIA staff members, comprising the Airport Manager and three from the Fire Unit, have tested positive for COVID-19 and are receiving treatment. They had contracted the virus from outside the airport.