Minister of Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake says several issues, including the non-expansion of Terminal 02 of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), have resulted in imposing restrictions for visitors during peak hours.
In a post on ‘X’, Minister Rathnayake said that congestion has been reported at the Katunayake airport due to a number of reasons. While pointing out that travellers being accompanied by loved ones has contributed to the issue, Minister Herath also noted infrastructure issues.
“It’s due to non-expansion of BIA terminal 2, low number of checking counters, shortage of immigration officers, delayed digitisation (No Egates), etc,” he said.
Minister Rathnayake assured that the government will bring solutions to the issues within months, adding that the delayed Terminal 02 will be the long-term solution.
Minister Bimal Rathnayake’s remarks come in response to the announcement of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka), that entry to the Departure Lobby at the Katunayake Airport will be restricted for visitors from Thursdays to Saturdays from 10.00 pm to midnight.
AASL said the measure has been introduced with immediate effect to ease congestion and ensure smoother operations for passengers and airport users. (Newswire)