Sri Lanka has opened its second international airport, Mattala Rajapaska International Airport. Sri Lankan Airlines is one of the first carriers to commit to operating there.
The airport was constructed with $200 million of Chinese Exim Bank money.
MRIA opened last month and has already attracted national carrier SriLankan Airlines and its subsidiary, SriLankan Cargo; Sharjah-based budget carrier Air Arabia; and flyDubai. Emirates Airlines, Korean Airways and Sichuan Airlines all plan to start services soon, while British Airways and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways have also “committed” to establish a presence at MRIA, located in the district of Hambantota, some 100 miles southeast of the capital, Colombo.