Hingurakgoda Airport to go international

COLOMBO (News 1st); Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva said plans are underway to convert the Hingurakgoda Airport into an international civil airport.

The administration and operation of the airport are currently under the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The Minister said the move will attract foreign tourists visiting Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, and Dambulla and help generate a large amount of foreign income.

Minister de Silva added that several essential developments need to be made promptly at the Hingurakgoda Airport to fly and land at least A330 aircraft, and a field study should be conducted for this purpose.

Essential construction and services including extending the runway which is currently 2,287m to 2,800m, constructing an access road to the runway and an aircraft yard, setting up an air navigation system, and constructing an air traffic control tower and a passenger terminal will be done under these plans.