Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) is currently operating beyond its designed capacity due to strong airline demand with approximately 40 new slot requests per week for the upcoming winter season, most of which have already been rejected due to limited capacity.
Speaking at the International Tourism Leaders Summit 2025, held on 2nd October 2025 at BMICH under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism, highlighted that both scheduled and charter operations are contributing to this surge in demand.
“Some airlines have considered Mattala Airport as an alternate option, though many have not,” the Minister noted.
He further stated that BIA was originally designed to handle 6 million passengers per annum, but now accommodates over 10 million annually. “It is essential to proceed with the long-overdue expansion. I personally believe BIA should have had two runways by now, after six decades of operations,” he added.
Prof. Ranasinghe emphasized that addressing these infrastructure and capacity challenges remains a top priority, noting that the tourism sector is also facing direct challenges in achieving its tourist arrival targets due to the current airport limitations.
