Sri Lanka has received seven expressions of interest (EOIs) to invest in direct and indirect aviation-related business ventures at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) which will be finalised in two weeks, Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (29), he said that they had received the seven EOIs from the private sector. These are being evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Committee, which will make a final announcement in two weeks time, he noted.

The focus of calling for EOIs was to utilise the Mattala Airport’s facilities and assets by creating public-private partnership investment opportunities from investors and entrepreneurs engaged in direct and indirect aviation-related enterprises for carrying out aeronautical and non-aeronautical businesses at the airport.

Direct ventures for which EOIs were called include maintenance repair overhaul (MRO), support services, flying schools, fixed based operations (FBO), and long-term aircraft parking, while indirect ventures include the renewable energy industry, resorts/hotels, industrial parks, and logistic services.

Further, the Minister said that from 2017 to 2020, on average, the MRIA had incurred an average loss of Rs. 2 billion annually, which was reduced to Rs. 1.1 billion by 2023 due to more aircraft arriving at the airport and other measures taken.

He said that most Russian tourists arrive at the MRIA at the moment, while it has served as an important alternative airport for aircraft which are turned away from the Katunayake airport due to bad weather conditions, while earlier, the Chennai airport in India served as an alternative to Katunayake.

He said through investment on direct and indirect ventures at the MRIA, it is expected to earn a considerable amount of revenue for the expenses made in 3-4 years time.