Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, Youth, Sports, Digital Technology and Enterprise Development Minister Namal Rajapaksa, Aviation and Export Zones Development State Minister D. V. Chanaka, Airport Aviation Services (AASL) Chairman Major General (Rtd) G. A. Chandrasiri at the opening.
The newly constructed ‘Emigration Hall’ at the departure passenger terminal of Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was opened yesterday.
Under the BIA Terminal 1 expansion project, 23 new emigration counters have been added at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and this expansion project was completely funded by the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited at a cost Rs. 430 million. This improved and expanded design offers a new experience to our valued passengers on their happy journey through BIA.
The scope of the project is the construction of steel structure floor in the double-height void area of departure check-in area with all finishes, air-conditioning system, telephone and data expansion of existing Departure Terminal towards VIP with an additional three storeyed structures including the provision of 2 escalators, 01 elevators, new staircase and provision of finishes in the ground at upper floor with 5 additional check-in counters and extended belt.
Further, provision of area for additional shops and restaurants with all services, office area for emigration, and construction of washrooms at new emigration area and refurbishment of existing 2 toilet blocks consist of the project. 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.
Accordingly, AASL is continuing the major infrastructure development projects at BIA, as it is imperative to increase the capacity of the BIA to accommodate the expected increase in the annual passenger capacity to 20 million passengers by 2025. The passenger handling capacity has been a major issue at BIA as the existing passenger terminal building has been built to handle only 6 million passengers per annum.
Accordingly, now extended the number of emigration counters and equipped them with the latest technology to facilitate faster clearance procedures at BIA and it will reduce overcrowding and delays at the airport after a long flight and enable the passenger a hassle-free exit to reach their final destination.
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