Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) (Sinhala: බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, romanized: Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; Tamil: பண்டாரநாயக்க சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம், romanized: Paṇṭāranāyakka Carvatēca Vimāṉa Nilaiyam) (commonly known as Colombo International Airport, Colombo–Bandaranaike International Airport, and locally as Katunayake International Airport) (IATA: CMB, ICAO: VCBI) is the main international airport serving Sri Lanka. It is named after former Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (1899–1959) and is in the suburb of Negombo, 32.5 kilometres (20+1⁄4 miles) north of the nation's capital and commercial center, Colombo.
It is administered by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd and serves as the hub of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, Fitsair, a privately owned low-cost carrier, and domestic carrier Cinnamon Air.
The other airport serving the city of Colombo is Ratmalana International Airport.
The airport began as a Royal Air Force airfield in 1944 during the Second World War, RAF Negombo with No. 45 Squadron RAF (1946–49),[3] No. 232 Squadron RAF (1945),[4] No. 249 Squadron RAF (1950)[5] and No. 1303 Flight RAF (1945–46).[6] In 1957, Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike removed all the British Military airfields from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and the airfield was handed over to the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCAF) and renamed Katunayake; part of it still remains a military airfield. In 1964 Anil Moonesinghe, the Minister of Communications, started the building of a new international airport to replace Ratmalana, with Canadian aid. The airport was completed in 1967, and Air Ceylon, the national carrier, began international operations from it using a Hawker Siddeley Trident and a Vickers VC-10 leased from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). It was named after former Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike, in 1970. It was renamed Katunayake International Airport in 1977, but reverted to Bandaranaike International Airport in 1995.[7]
On 7 November 1971, the first Boeing 747 landed at the airport. The Boeing 747-200B was operated by Condor carrying German tourists from Frankfurt. In the early 1990s the position of the airport's runway (04/22) was shifted northward and the old runway was made into a taxiway for departing and arriving aircraft. Airport expansion projects have recently been undertaken at the airport under the Stage 1, Phase II Expansion Project. A pier with eight aero-bridges opened in November 2005. A new terminal with an additional eight gates are proposed to be built under Stage II of the Phase II Expansion Project. Construction of the new Stage II, Phase II Expansion Project is expected to commence in April 2017 and is expected to be completed by 2020.[citation needed]
On 7 May 2007, the Sri Lankan Government shifted military aviation operations out of the space adjoining the airport to SLAF Hingurakgoda, thus paving the way for the expansion of civilian operations. As part of the airport development program, a passenger-train service was launched between the Airport and Colombo Secretariat Station, in June 2010.[8] The airport is used by Emirates as an alternative emergency airport for its Airbus A380 aircraft.[8][9] On 9 January 2012, an Airbus A380-800 operated by Emirates landed at Bandaranaike International Airport. This was the first time an Airbus A380 had landed in a Sri Lankan airport.[10]
SriLankan Airlines is the largest airline operating at the airport, with a fleet of 27 Airbus aircraft.[11]
Bandaranaike International Airport (airport code CMB[12]) at Katunayake, Sri Lanka, is 32.5 kilometers north of the national capital, Colombo. 37 airlines currently serve the airport's over 10.79 million annual passengers.[13] The airport has three passenger terminals. Terminal 1 is the current international terminal, built in 1967. Terminal 2 is the new international terminal, which is expected to be completed in 2025. Terminal 3 is the new domestic terminal, which opened in November 2012.
The Bandaranaike International Airport has a single runway (04/22), with an asphalt surface. The take-off and landing distances are 3,441 m and 3,350 m respectively.[16] In addition, Phase II of the BIA expansion project is to have a second runway, also able to accommodate the A380, with another taxiway to the second runway.
Aircraft such as the Boeing 777, A350-1000, and 747 are the largest aircraft that the runway can currently accommodate. Moreover, there have been instances where even larger aircraft have landed at the airport but had to use excessive braking to stop. This has resulted in the aircraft's brakes overheating due to the excessive braking.
Bandaranaike International Airport has a total of 6 lounges. There are four paid lounges: the Executive Lounge, Silk Route Arrival and Departure Lounges, and Gold Route Arrival and Departure Lounges. Passengers transiting via CMB can pay around $21 USD per person for a 3 to 6 hour stay. For more information, passengers can refer to the airport website. Additionally, there are two "Privilege Lounges," namely the Lotus Lounge and Araliya Lounge. Sri Lankan Airlines also operates its own Serendib Lounge, which passengers traveling in business class can access for free. Lounges provide complimentary food and drink services as a way to relax.
The airport has a total of three open air parking areas. The remote car park is located about 300m away from the terminal and it can accommodate Cars, Vans, Double Cabs and Jeeps.
Phase II of the Airport expansion project aims to build a 5 storey car park to accommodate increasing passenger traffic.
The airport has a total of four available frequencies that pilots can use to communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC). The first one is the Bandaranaike International Airport Approach at 132.4 MHz, and the other is Bandaranaike International Airport Tower at 118.7 MHz. Ground communication is at 121.9 MHz, while ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) is at 127.2 MHz.
Colombo Director (BIA Approach) - 132.4Mhz
Bandaranaike International Airport Tower - 118.7Mhz
Bandaranaike International Airport Ground - 121.9 MHz
Bandaranaike International Airport ATIS - 127.2 MHz
The airport underwent resurfacing of its runway, and to celebrate, Emirates launched an one-off A380 flight operated as EK654 from Dubai, replacing the B777 aircraft usually deployed by Emirates on flights to Sri Lanka.
Future projects include a second runway to support the Airbus A380, a further eight passenger gates, a domestic terminal, a five-storey car-park, and a five-star hotel neighbouring the airport. Construction of new approach channels to the airport began in April 2017.[17]
A new split-level passenger terminal building, which separates arrivals and departures vertically, a new pier with eight boarding gates, and fourteen passenger boarding bridges, with a dedicated gate comprising two passenger boarding bridges for the new Airbus A380, will be included in the proposed new complex. There would also be a remote apron and an additional nine parking stands to ease air traffic movement. There would be a tax-free apparel shopping mall at the Katunayake BOI Zone to attract more business visitors to Sri Lanka. The mall is to be adjacent to the arrival terminal and connected by a sky bridge.
The second stage will involve the acquisition of 600 ha (1,500 acres) of public land, the construction of a runway capable of accommodating new-generation airplanes, an aircraft repair and maintenance center, an arrival and a departure terminal, a shopping arcade, a cargo complex connected to the airport by rail and a multi-storey car park. Under the Development Project Phase II, Stage 2, a second passenger terminal and a required utility for a second terminal will be constructed. The terminal, aircraft parking apron, and public utilities will also be expanded. The existing airport terminal will be converted to a domestic and regional terminal, when the new complex is ready. A two-tier passenger terminal with arrivals and departures physically separated as found in most modern airports will also be constructed. A rapid exit to the Colombo – Katunayake Highway will be provided directly from the terminal.
The construction work of Package B –"Remote Apron and Taxiways" commenced in April 2017.
The second phase of the expansion project is being carried out with Japanese assistance and is expected to be completed by 2025.
The second phase of the expansion project at Katunayake Airport is underway with Japanese assistance and was initially projected for completion by 2025. However, due to current delays, there is a possibility of extended timelines, potentially leading to completion by late 2026 to 2027. Shown below is a summary of Phase II
From 2012 to 2023, there was a general trend of gradual increase in passenger traffic at CMB Airport. Both departures and arrivals showed steady growth over this period, with some occasional fluctuations. In 2012, there were 3,590,122 departures and 3,554,969 arrivals, totaling 7,145,091 passengers. Over the years, CMB experienced its highest amount of passenger traffic in 2018, with 5,389,082 departures and 5,409,587 arrivals, totaling an impressive 10,798,669 passengers. However, passenger numbers fluctuated. Due to the 2019 Easter bombings, passenger traffic began to slow down. During the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger traffic dwindled, reaching an all-time low of 1,231,939 departures and 792,002 arrivals in 2020, totaling 2,023,941 passengers, which was significantly lower compared to other years.
However, after the pandemic, passenger traffic at CMB has been recovering gradually, with a total increase of 267.5% compared to 2021.
Furthermore, it is expected that CMB will recover to 10 million passengers annually in 2024.
Beginning in 2012 with 46,616 scheduled and 2,118 non-scheduled flights, the numbers consistently increased until 2019, with fluctuations during the subsequent years due to the Easter bombings, COVID-19, and the prevailing economic situation in the country. Despite this, substantial recovery was observed in 2022 and 2023. It is expected to recover to 2018 numbers by 2024 and 2025, respectively.
From 2012 to 2023, there was fluctuating trends in cargo movements, with notable increases and decreases over the years. For instance, there were steady increases in cargo volume from 2012 to 2018, followed by a significant decrease in 2021 to 2023, This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cargo volumes are expected to recover by 2024 to 2025.
Bandaranaike International Airport connects to 51 airports across 28 countries. The airport operates an average of around 550 scheduled international flights weekly. The routes between Colombo (CMB) and Dubai (DXB), Male (MLE), and Chennai (MAA) are the busiest, with an average of 53 flights operating between these destinations per week.
Bandaranaike International Airport also serves as a hub for connecting various domestic destinations. Currently, Cinnamon Air operates several flights per week to domestic destinations, with the most popular ones being Batticoloa, Trincomalee, Sigiriya, and Hambanthota.
A coach service operates every 15 minutes from the terminal to Colombo via E03 Colombo – Katunayake Expressway, with a travel time of around 30 minutes.
Coach services are sometimes operated using Mitsubishi Fusa Rosa buses which can carry around 20 people. These busses are small with average legroom.
Passengers can also get buses to and from the airport to other cities such as Galle, Kadawatha, Matara, and Nugegoda. These coach services are usually operated by third parties and not the airport authorities.
E03 Colombo – Katunayake Expressway is a high-speed road linking the airport to the city of Colombo with a travel time of around 20 minutes, and just a few minutes to the city of Negombo. The airport taxi service operates a counter in the arrival Lobby with a fleet over 600 vehicles. This road is linked to coastal cities like and Galle and Matara by Southern Highway with a travel time of 2-2.15 hours to Matara.
In addition to traditional taxi services, travelers can easily access convenient ride-sharing services such as Uber and PickMe. These platforms offer a reliable means of travel, allowing passengers to easily reach their destinations at an affordable price. Furthermore, the introduction of ride-sharing services has proven to be a better alternative compared to the traditional taxi services typically available at the airport.
Uber and PickMe also have dedicated pick-up points at CMB, making it easier for travelers to get picked up by drivers and reduce delays in pick-up times.
During the early 2000s and late 2010s, Airport and Aviation Services (AASL) chartered DMU units from Sri Lanka Railways, which were used to operate an Airport Express train from Colombo Fort Railway Station to Katunayake Railway Station. The train is a Japanese-built Class S5 DMU Unit, constructed between 1969 and 1970. Initially, the train was chartered to pick up passengers from Katunayake; however, as of April 2024, it is no longer in operation. Nevertheless, according to some sources, there are plans to restart the express train with more modern DMUs such as the Class S13 and Class S14. However, it remains largely speculative at this point.
A high-speed rail system is proposed to connect the city of Negombo to the city of Colombo via BIA airport by an electrified high-speed rail link to Colombo Fort, where it will connect to the proposed Colombo Light Rail. Currently, the Puttalam - Colombo Fort rail is active, using several diesel-engine-powered trains. Passengers can access commuter rail from Katunayake Railway Station and continue their journey up to Colombo Fort. From there, various intercity trains are available to Badulla, Batticaloa, Galle, Jaffna, Kandy, Matara, and Trincomalee.
However, it is important to note that Katunayake Railway Station is a low-frequency station, with trains rarely stopping there except for slow trains, commuter trains, or tanker trains used to haul jet fuel from Colombo to the airport. In terms of price comparison, rail is the cheapest option but often the slowest form of transportation out of the airport. Travelers usually opt for bus or car transportation as it is faster, albeit more expensive.
Cinnamon Air operates scheduled seaplane flights from Seeduwa Dadugam Oya near the airport using Cessna 208 aircraft.
They also operate various charter flights to Ratmalana International Airport and other airports around the country.
In 1956, with the departure of the RAF from RAF Negombo, the Royal Ceylon Air Force took over and renamed the station RCAF Katunayake. With the construction of the Bandaranaike International Airport, a major portion of the air base was taken over. However the Sri Lanka Air Force remained and expanded its air base adjoining the International Airport. Currently it is the largest SLAF station in the country and several flying squadrons as well as ground units are based there. The Air Force Hospital is also based at SLAF Katunayake.[59]
In March 2001, on the 50th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force, the airfield was presented with the President's Colours.[60]
SLAF Base Katunayake offers a wide range of recreational and sports facilities for its personnel, including a fully equipped gymnasium, a sports arena, a swimming pool, and a cinema. Additionally, the Base provides accommodation to several hundred families of Air Force personnel through its married quarters complex. It serves as the main administrative element of the Southern Air Command of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
The following are the formations which are based at SLAF Katunayake.[61]
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