At a time when most international airports are closed worldwide, a single crew transfer operation between a ship and a flight has brought in a minimum of US $ 15,000 (Rs. 30 Million) in foreign exchange into Sri Lanka.
“This revenue figure was arrived at from the over US $ 5000 which was earned by the MRIA , the over US $ 5000 that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation earned from refueling and the national carrier – SriLankan Airlines from the ground handling”, Chief Manager Upul Kalansooriya told ‘Daily News Finance’ yesterday.
This is the first time in Sri Lanka, that Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) facilitated a ‘Special Charter Flight’ that brought Shipc members
“It all happened when a group of sailors numbering 235 and 13 crew members from Netherlands arrived at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport at Mattala aboard Dutch carrier Privilege Style (PVG 6991), travelled by road to Board the MV Audacia which was docked in the Port of Galle. The arrival of that flight was at 8.27 am on May 3”, MRIA Duty Manager Shantha Jayasinghe told the Daily News Finance.
“ It was also with the reverse process that 57 crew members who were aboard the ship that was docked in the Galle Port who arrived at the MRIA who returned to the Amsterdam Airport when the aircraft PVG 6991 returned to that country. That flight departed from the MRIA at 3.50 a.m.”, he said.
He also said that the Quarantine procedures were also adhered to and all the stakeholders who participated deserved all the credit which includes the MRIA staff, Sri Lankan Airlines, Sri Lanka Customs Immigration and Emigration and the Health Authorities.
This shows the strategic importance of Sri Lanka’s geographical location at the southernmost tip of the Indian Ocean right in the center of aviation and maritime routes connecting the East and the West.
This type of operation to transfer a crew for a vessel took place for the first time and this is an enormous untapped opportunity for MRIA that Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited has capitalized in promoting MRIA. “Despite the former Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa building the Mattala Airport to international standards, the ruination which was taking place during the previous regime was colossal that it will cost around Rs. 500 million to restore it with infrastructure upgrades”, Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd, Retired Major General G.A. Chandrasiri told Daily News Finance earlier. This airport was also used to stone paddy by the previous government.
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