The Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku
Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku stated that regulatory bottlenecks in the aviation sector would be addressed while maintaining compliance with national security requirements and ICAO regulations. He noted that Bandaranaike International Airport handled 8.8 million passengers despite being designed for 6 million, and called for expediting Terminal 2 construction, which would add capacity for 9 million passengers annually. He also highlighted air navigation revenue of Rs. 3,200 million in 2024 and said Rs. 3,500 million had been allocated in the Budget for a new building and technology upgrades.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 I will wind up, Madam. These areas had bottlenecks due to lack of proper regulation; we will streamline operations without conflicting with national security or ICAO Regulations. We expect a rapid boom.
¶ 02 At Bandaranaike International Airport, designed for 6 million passengers, 8.8 million were handled last year. We must expedite Terminal 2 constructions, expected to resume in the second half of this year. Terminal 2 will add 9 million passengers per annum. Owing to our strategic location, 40,000–50,000 aircraft pass through our airspace annually; we provide navigation facilities. In 2024, revenue was Rs. 3,200 million. Recognising its importance as a foreign currency generator, we have allocated Rs. 3,500 million this year for a new building and technology upgrades.
¶ 03 Finally, we are on the right track. Through this Budget, we can lay the foundation for what we will build in the next few years. Thank you.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 7 March 2025 ·No. 1743066559006904 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 7 March 2025. No. 1743066559006904. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/17962