Minister of Tourism, Hon. Prasanna Ranatunga has instructed the relevant officials to take immediate action to minimize the inconveniences caused to tourists and Sri Lankans, while using the airport.The Minister said this while inspecting the Katunayake Airport premises.The Minister participated in the observation visit to look into ways to minimize the inconvenience caused to tourists as more tourists are expected to visit the country in the near future.

The Minister said that separate booths should be set up for Sri Lankans and tourists arriving in the country to leave the airport premises, to pick up their luggage and for customs services. With Covid pandemic, many countries are focused on boosting the tourism industry. The number of tourists visiting the country daily has increased and it is likely to increase the number to between 1500 and 2000 tourists per day in the future, the Minister said.

The Minister said that more attention should be paid during this period to the maintenance and operation of the airport in compliance with the health guidelines related to the control of pandemic.The Katunayake Airport was designed to handle 6 million passengers annually. However, Katunayake Airport handles between 10 to 12 million passengers. Although the construction of a new passenger terminal at the Katunayake Airport was originally started during the tenure of the former President, H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa, it was hampered during the period of good governance. The Minister said that with the resumption of operations at present, the new terminal will be able to cater to another 9 million passengers, once it is completed.

Major(Retired), G.A. Chandrasiri, Vice President,Mr. Rajiv Sooriyarachchi, Officials of the  Immigration and Emigration Department,  Sri Lanka Customs and other Officials in charge of  Security of the Airport were also present.