Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-06-14

The development of the Airport at Palaviya in Puttalam

- The availability of an efficient internal air transport system which integrates the entire country with the international airports is essential for a country. In addition to the two international airports available in Sri Lanka at Katunayake and Mattala presently, there are 14 domestic airports of different sizes at Ampara, Anuradhapura, Baticaloa, Hingurakkgoda, Palali, Iranamadu, Koggala, Katukurunda, Palaviya, Ratmalana, Sigiriya, Trincomalee, Weeravila and Vavuniya so as to cover 07 out of the 09 Provinces in the Island. The Budget - 2016 has proposed to establish three new domestic airports in the districts of Badulla, Kandy and Puttalam under public-private partnership, especially for the promotion of tourism in such Districts. With a view to developing the tourism industry prevalent in the Kalpitiya area which is becoming a tourist destination, simultaneously, the proposal made by Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, to develop the Palaviya Airport which is currently non-utilized, acquiring a land of 26 hectares in extent, at an estimated cost of Rs.750 million, was approved by the Cabinet.