Batticaloa Airport launches Joy Rides for local and foreign tourists. It is being implemented on the instructions of Minister of Tourism, Hon. Prasanna Ranatunga.
Its first program was launched recently. Joy Rides is a short-haul flight that takes passengers to the sky around the airport. Accordingly, 36 passengers from 03 aircraft joined the tour last week and they spent about half an hour in the skies around the Batticaloa Airport.
The government also plans to develop the Batticaloa Airport as a domestic airport. This Joy Rides concept was implemented as its inception. This joy ride is currently operating at the Batticaloa Airport and it is expected to operate the same at the Ratmalana and Jaffna airports in the near future.
The Batticaloa Airport, which was established in 1958 under the Civil Aviation Department, was handed over to the Air Force in 1983. During the last Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government (2012), the runway at the Batticaloa Airport was upgraded and operated as a domestic airport.
In 2018, there were 1180 flight operations, in 2019 there were 864 flight operations and in 2020 there were 174 flight operations, despite the Covid pandemic. With an area of 348 acres, the Batticaloa Airport has a runway which is 1368 meters long and 30 meters wide. The airport can handle aircraft operations that can serve up to 60 passengers.
