Moving ahead with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s vision ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’, Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited – (AASL) geared up to develop the international airports in Sri Lanka.

By identifying the long-term delays and prioritizing the implementation of the BIA Terminal 2 construction project the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Terminal-2 of Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA)  was ceremonially launched by Mahinda Rajapaksa,  Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and Akira Sugiyama, the Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka on 18^th November 2020 with the participation of  Prasanna Ranatunga, Minister of Tourism, D. V. Chanaka, State Minister of Aviation and Export Zones Development, other Members of Parliament, Major General (Rtd) G. A. Chandrasiri, Chairman AASL, Rajiv Sooriyaarachchi, Vice Chairman-AASL, Aruna Warushahennadige, Director AASL/Director BIA Terminal 2, Board of Directors of AASL, Upul Dharmadasa, Chairman CAASL, and other distinguished guests.

Once completed, the new terminal will be able to handle 9 mn passengers per annum and it will increase the total passenger handling capacity at BIA up to 15 mn passengers per annum.

The Terminal 2 project will support the Government’s Vision of transforming Sri Lanka. This new terminal construction will uplift the international standards of BIA as a world-class airport reflecting the unique and dynamic Sri Lankan culture.

AASL envisions to be a Friendliest Aviation Partner in Global Connectivity towards a Sustainable Economy. As a reputed company, AASL strives hard to provide competitive, safe aviation services and a superlative guest experience with best practices and the latest technology to ensure stakeholder satisfaction on par with world-class international airports. BIA handled 62,195 international flight movements and 9.9 mn passenger movements in 2019 despite the challenges. The passenger handling capacity has been a major issue at BIA as the existing passenger terminal building has been built to handle only 6 mn passengers per annum. The imprint journey of AASL recorded a profit after tax of Rs. 10.9 bn in 2019 despite the challenging socio-economic conditions.

The commencement of BIA Terminal 2 will be a giant step towards becoming an aviation hub in the region. The project consists of the construction of a new multi-level terminal building where arrivals and departures are separated  vertically.  The BIA Terminal 2 will be constructed under the concept of smart airports and the successful completion of this project will enable to create a pleasant travel experience for both local and international travelers. The added facilities such as multi-storied car park, new airport lounges, gate lounges, connected multi-mode transport services, etc. would create much more passenger convenience and experience. The total floor area in the new terminal will be 180,000 m2 and along with the terminal, the total floor area will be increased up to 270,000 m2. The passenger check-in counters will be increased up to 149 with the addition of 96 new counters. In addition to that, 32 new departure passport control counters, 56 new passport arrival counters, 16 contact gates, 10 bus gates, 6 new airline lounges, 7 new baggage claim carousel, 7 baggage make up carousel, and 23 to 28 new aircraft parking bases will be added to the new terminal.

The project will be completed within 3 years. Japan Airport Consultants, Inc. and Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. – (JAC/NK) are the consultants of the project and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funding partner. TAISEI Corporation, Japan is the Contractor for this project.