This is a big embarrassment to the airport, the government and officials. Surely the contractors knew how to read a tape measure!!!

The Bandaranaike International Airport was closed for daytime flights from 830am to 430pm for three months from January 6, 2017. The runway re opened as schedule on the 6^th April and hailed a total success.

However, It was later revealed that the project was a total waste of time and money. The project was to include the widening the 45-metre main runway to 75 metres and to re-lay the surface to fix the lighting system. The initial estimate for the project stood at LKR 7.2 billion.

The extra wide runway would also allow for larger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 super jumbo to be able to use the airport.

The problem is that the contractors measured the extra 30 metres incorrectly and actually only widened the runway to 60 metres making it short by 15 metres when measured by the IATA officials.

This is a big embarressment to the airport, the government and officials. Surely the contractors knew how to read a tape measure!!!

SriLankan Airlines alone incurred an approximate loss of USD 40 million during the time the runway was shut down for refurbishment. This is excluding other major airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways that had to reduce operations and all the airlines that had to reschedule operations which was a major feat in itself.

The total loss to Sri Lankan tourism for this period was estimated to be $80 million, however Sri Lankan Tourist Board denies this figure.

Leader of JVP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking on the issue said:

“We closed the airport for six months from 8 in the morning to 4 in the evening. The loss has been calculated at 7.6 billion. But what has happened after they reconstructed the runway incurring a loss of Rs. 7.6 billion. It has come to a situation where the A380s cannot land there. They had rolled back the previous plan but the cost has increased by USD 30 million. It is clear that the anticipated task has not been achieved”.

Chairman of  Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya, Janaka Wijepathiratne speaking on the issue said:

“We worked for 16 long sleepless hours in the night shift to facilitate the construction activities of the runway. But after all of this. if the international aviation authorities are not granting permission for bigger flights to land here, we see this as a massive waste of money. We are asking the government to provide a clarification”.

It has now been estimated that an additional cost of $30 million needs to be spent in order to do the job properly. Not one airport official has confirmed as to whether the airport runway needs to closed again for a second time with a huge inconvenience to airlines and tourism as a whole.

Colombo Airport (CMB) Re Opens for daytime flights on schedule

Civil Aviation and Transport Ministry said today 4th April 2017 that. “The main runway of the Bandaranaike Airport (CMB) ie Colombo International Airport will become fully operational again for daytime flights on Thursday April 06th 2017″.

The Srilankan Airlines’ new aircraft (UL-1162)  would make the first landing on the runway. The airport’s main runway was closed for renovations on January 6.  Ministry said  the construction was effective to expand the existing runway from 65 metres wide to 75 metres.

The new runway is now fully comprised with the LED lighting system, enabling the airport to operate even under bad weather condition & the new renovated runway would also allow for larger aircraft such as the A380 to use the airport,” ministry said.

Fly Dreamliner direct from Stockholm or Helsinki

Thomson Airways now flies their new luxury Boeing 787 Dreamliner weekly to Colombo Sri Lanka from Stockholm in Sweden and Helsinki in Finland.

These are both direct non stop flight of 10 hours and Premium Class are also available.

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Bigger Windows
The windows on a 787 Dreamliner are about 30% bigger than those on your average plane. What’s more, when you’re ready to sleep, you can dim them at the touch of a button.

Room Overhead
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Your body clock is more in tune wherever you’re heading on the Dreamliner, as the plane features a high-spec mood lighting system that can mimic things like dawn and dusk.

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The Dreamliner generates 60 per cent less noise than standard planes during take-off and
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Quality Time
You can indulge in some proper ‘me’ time on the Dreamliner. It’s kitted out with state-of-the-art seatback TVs – and you can even plug your camera into them.

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Thanks to its composite structure and revolutionary engines, the plane is more fuel-efficient and emits less CO2 – about 20 per cent less carbon on a flight from Britain to America.

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The 787 Dreamliner can fly about 8,000 miles without stopping, which means it can go direct to destinations other planes can’t reach.

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