PM eyes Trinco for international airport, economic hub

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is keen on developing Trincomalee as an international airport as opposed to prospects by the northerners vying for one in Palali.

This idea was mooted by the Premier taking into consideration the economic prospects found in this region, Sports and Tourism Minister Navin Dissanayake told the Business Times on Tuesday.

Asked about the prospects of establishing an international airport in Palali as sought by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in its election manifesto, he noted that this airport could be upgraded for domestic purposes but was not on the cards for an international airport.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF)-manned Palali airport located in the Jaffna peninsula is about 20 km from Jaffna town and is being used for air traffic services for both military and commercial aircraft.

Mr. Dissanayake said the Prime Minister was keen on establishing an international airport in Trincomalee as it was expected to become a hub of economic activity.

Currently, the existing airport is manned by the SLAF that has established its academy at China Bay. This air base was first set up under the British colonial era and had come under attack by the Japanese during the bombing of Trincomalee during World War II. China Bay has the capacity to handle large scale air operations, official sources said.

The minister said about 15-20 hotels already set up in the area have contributed to increased activity and that future development could be looked at as well in terms of electricity and as a marine hub.

He pointed out that they were looking at creating this international venture as a public private partnership.

Before proceeding however the government would carry out a feasibility study of the economic prospects as “we don’t want another white elephant” similar to the Mattala Rajapakse International Airport, he said.

It was necessary to understand the prospects of air traffic into this region and those from India and China in addition to taking into account the financial aspects as well, Mr. Dissanayake explained.