Sri Lanka’s main gateway, Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), is currently operating beyond its designed capacity as airline interest continues to surge. With around 40 new slot requests per week for the upcoming winter season, most applications have been declined due to limited operational capacity.
Speaking at the International Tourism Leaders Summit 2025, held on October 2 at the BMICH under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism, highlighted that both scheduled and charter flight operations are fueling this growing demand.
“Some airlines have considered Mattala Airport as an alternative, though many have not,” Prof. Ranasinghe noted.
He further revealed that BIA was originally designed to handle 6 million passengers annually, yet now accommodates over 10 million passengers each year. “It is essential to move forward with the long-overdue expansion. I personally believe BIA should have had two runways by now, after six decades of operations,” he added.
Prof. Ranasinghe stressed that infrastructure and capacity expansion remain critical priorities for the aviation and tourism sectors. The existing limitations at BIA, he said, are directly impacting Sri Lanka’s ability to meet its tourist arrival targets in the coming seasons.
