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AASL denies it gained approval for lotus shape

28 Mar 2021

  • Discussions underway

  • Approval yet to be sought

  Amidst reports that the Government has decided to change the external appearance of the ongoing Terminal II project at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to the shape of the lotus flower, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. denies obtaining any such approval. Nevertheless, speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, AASL Chairman Maj. Gen. (Retd.) G.A. Chandrasiri stated that there is a plan to change the external appearance of the new terminal to the shape of the lotus flower, yet added that it is “not a necessity”, as they are to go ahead even with its currently proposed shape of the banana leaf. “So far, we have not received approval from the authorities for the lotus flower shape. It is an option that we are considering at the moment. Discussions are underway to obtain the approval and we are preparing the required documents for it,” Chandrasiri added. Furthermore, he stated that since the change in the proposed shape is just a plan, reports stating that the change would cost an additional Rs. 35 million are baseless. It is learnt that the lotus flower was the initial shape of the terminal that was planned under the Government led by current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2012, which was then changed to the shape of a banana leaf under the Government led by Maithripala Sirisena. After years of delay due to various issues, the Terminal II project began late last year and is expected to be completed within three years to cater to a combined passenger capacity of 15 million per year. The Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) is the concessionary loan provider for the new terminal at BIA. The loan agreement of Rs. 56 billion was signed five years ago on 24 March 2016 even though this project was part of a lengthy expansionary project that kicked off under the Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa. The new terminal building would feature the addition of 96 check-in counters, eight baggage claim belts, seven baggage makeup carousels, 16 contact boarding gates with 28 passenger boarding bridges, and six bus gates. The scope also includes capacity enhancement of the incinerator, water treatment plant, and sewerage treatment plant. The BIA has been in dire need of another terminal for years now. It had more than 170 aircraft movements per day, including an average of more than 60 movements of heavy aircraft per day in 2018. The existing six million-passenger terminal handled 10 million passengers in 2018, resulting in hours of delays, particularly as passengers were trying to collect their baggage. According to the annual reports of AASL, the airport experienced heavy congestion in the arrival and departure zones, as well as vehicular traffic, particularly during peak hours; all while passenger arrivals grew 5-6% year-on-year (YoY).


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