The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, I respond to the question raised under Standing Order 27(2) by Hon. Shritharan as follows.

¶ 02 01. At present, Jaffna International Airport operates two daily international flights to Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, India, using aircraft with about 70 seats.

¶ 03 From 2020 to July 2025, operations at Jaffna International Airport were as follows:

¶ 04 - International flights: 2020 — 536; 2021 — 778; 2022 — 674 - Domestic flights: 2020 — 328; 2021 — 378; 2022 — 78 - Total movements and passenger numbers correspondingly increased, though small aircraft did not always operate at full capacity; nonetheless, a significant number of passengers were served.

¶ 05 Key financial/operational indicators (Rs. million): - Revenue: 2024 — 286; 2025 to July — 197 - Operating profit: 2024 — 76; 2025 to July — 67 - Operating margin (%): 2024 — 27; 2025 to July — 34 - Profit after tax: 2024 — 76; 2025 to July — 67 - Accumulated profit/(loss): 2024 — (146); 2025 to July — (80) - Operating expenditure: 2024 — 210; 2025 to July — 130 - Net finance income/(cost): 2024 — 7 - Property, plant and equipment: 2024 — 385; 2025 to July — 385

¶ 06 Staffing currently deployed at JIA: - Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Pvt) Ltd: 276 - Other regulatory agencies: 55 - Service providers: 9 - Manpower agencies: 40 - Airline representatives: 2 - Total: 382

¶ 07 Other regulatory agencies include Plant/Animal/Health Quarantine (4), Public Health Inspectors (2), Sri Lanka Customs (7), Immigration (6), Sri Lanka Police (11), SLSEA (2), Tourism (1), Sri Lanka Air Force (14), Commando Regiment (8).

¶ 08 Regarding Phase II and larger aircraft (narrow-body/A320) operations, significant expenditure would be required for runway extension, taxiways, apron expansion, terminal capacity and other facilities, as well as possible additional land acquisition. Therefore, detailed feasibility studies are necessary prior to further decisions.

¶ 09 02. The Ministry of Tourism, with relevant agencies, should develop effective mechanisms to attract domestic and foreign tourists to use Jaffna International Airport. We already levy a lower embarkation fee at Jaffna than at BIA; while it could be further reduced, that alone will not increase traffic. Hence the need for feasibility-based planning to reach the scale envisaged by the Hon. Member.

¶ 10 03. Terminal expansion to improve basic passenger services is underway in two stages. For Stage 1, procurement has been initiated and bids called. For Stage 2 terminal expansion, bids will be called within a month. These works follow approved Government procurement procedures. A temporary covered facility for passengers and greeters has already been installed; a permanent, larger facility is planned under Phase II, expected to commence around October.

¶ 11 We are determined to develop Jaffna as a sustainable international airport with a sound business plan, learning from experience at Mattala. IndiGo has added two services, and the airport must remain commercially feasible.

¶ 12 04. Investments to date have been by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka and Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Pvt) Ltd. Following the feasibility study noted in (01), financing needs and capital structure for expanded operations will be determined.

¶ 13 05. Capacity augmentation will be undertaken expeditiously, aligned with actual demand. Expert advice suggests moving from the current ~70-seat class to around 130-seat class through runway rehabilitation with minimal cost and ensuring safety. We aim to complete this by around mid-next year. Heavier categories beyond that are not economically justified at present. Baggage allowances are determined by airlines.

¶ 14 06. Land acquisition for expansion was handled by the Ministry of Defence; details on compensation should be obtained from that Ministry. Based on our discussions with residents, additional acquisition is presently not required for the current scale; existing lands are adequate. For any compensation paid or pending, the Ministry of Defence is the competent source.