Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2019-10-01

Grant of Cabotage Right to Foreign Airlines

- Up to date, by the Air Services Agreements that Sri Lanka has negotiated with other States, the Airlines of the Bilateral Partner States have not been granted rights to operate flights in Sri Lanka under cabotage rights. However, with the aim of having a renaissance in the local aviation sector, the proposal made by the Minister of Transport & Civil Aviation, to authorize the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka to accord cabotage rights to interested foreign airlines to operate commercial air services only among the Internal Airports in Sri Lanka (Batticaloa International Airport, Jaffna International Airport, Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana International Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport) under a Temporary Operating Permit with one year validity period, issued under the existing Air Services Agreements between Sri Lanka and the respective States of the Airlines which are interested to operate flights between the said International Airports with cabotage rights, was approved by the Cabinet.