China refuses SriLankan alternative arrival slots in Beijing, Shanghai

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has refused SriLankan Airlines alternative arrival slots in Beijing and Shanghai to correspond with the runway closure at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) between January and May.

The national carrier had sought an earlier arrival by four hours, four times a week, at both destinations, but had been turned down by the Chinese. Industry sources alleged the decision was politically motivated.

“It is quite simple, they (Chinese) refused,” said one. SriLankan had tried for more than six months, twice holding meetings with the Chinese Embassy in Colombo, to no avail. The CAAC claimed that their airports were too busy. By contrast, the British Civil Aviation Authority accommodated the airline’s requests despite Heathrow being one of the world’s busiest airports.

Passengers on SriLankan’s Beijing and Shanghai flights will now have to transit at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), whiling away their hours to keep the same landing times as before. These travelers are predominantly Chinese. “It is a major inconvenience to their (China’s) own people,” the source pointed out.

SriLankan would prefer passengers booked to Beijing and Shanghai to join the flights at MRIA. “This is only if they wish to,” a spokesman said. “If they join in Colombo, we will give them a meal in Mattala.” Landing at and taking off from MRIA will add to the carrier’s costs.

The BIA runway will be closed during daylight hours from January 6, till May. SriLankan has rescheduled whatever flights it could but, still has to cancel around 48 flights a week. That is a total of approximately 624 flights over the 13-week period.

With no reduction in corporate overhead costs, the airline has estimated that losses will be in the region of US$ 50 million. The CAAC claimed that the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) had disregarded its request for the runway to be closed at night. In response, the CAASL told the Sunday Times that all the other airlines had agreed to the resurfacing being done during the day.

SriLankan is now bracing itself for the interruptions that will take place, airline officials said. The major impact will be inconvenience to passengers. They have been asked to report to the airport five hours ahead. Chief Executive Officer Suren Ratwatte warned that flights will be dispatched on time. “Late passengers will not be able to travel,” he maintained. “We anticipate congestion at security and immigration, neither of which is under our control.”

He also said there will “most probably” be issues with baggage handling. The overriding concern, however, was terminal congestion.