Bandaranaike International Airport

The airport began as a Royal Air Force airfield in 1944 during the Second World War, RAF Negombo with No. 45 Squadron RAF (1946–49),^[3] No. 232 Squadron RAF (1945),^[4] No. 249 Squadron RAF (1950)^[5] and No. 1303 Flight RAF (1945–46).^[6] In 1957, Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike removed all the British Military airfields from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and the airfield was handed over to the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCAF) and renamed Katunayake; part of it still remains a military airfield. In 1964 Anil Moonesinghe, the Minister of Communications, started the building of a new international airport to replace Ratmalana, with Canadian aid. The airport was completed in 1967, and Air Ceylon, the national carrier, began international operations from it using a Hawker Siddeley Trident and a Vickers VC-10 leased from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). It was named after former Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike, in 1970. It was renamed Katunayake International Airport in 1977, but reverted to Bandaranaike International Airport in 1995.^[7]

On 7 November 1971, the first Boeing 747 landed at the airport. The Boeing 747-200B was operated by Condor carrying German tourists from Frankfurt. In the early 1990s the position of the airport's runway (04/22) was shifted northward and the old runway was made into a taxiway for departing and arriving aircraft. Airport expansion projects have recently been undertaken at the airport under the Stage 1, Phase II Expansion Project. A pier with eight aero-bridges opened in November 2005. A new terminal with an additional eight gates are proposed to be built under Stage II of the Phase II Expansion Project. Construction of the new Stage II, Phase II Expansion Project is expected to commence in April 2017 and is expected to be completed by 2020.^{[citation needed]}

On 7 May 2007, the Sri Lankan Government shifted military aviation operations out of the space adjoining the airport to SLAF Hingurakgoda, thus paving the way for the expansion of civilian operations. As part of the airport development program, a passenger-train service was launched between the Airport and Colombo Secretariat Station, in June 2010.^[8] The airport is used by Emirates as an alternative emergency airport for its Airbus A380 aircraft.^[8][9] On 9 January 2012, an Airbus A380-800 operated by Emirates landed at Bandaranaike International Airport. This was the first time an Airbus A380 had landed in a Sri Lankan airport.^[10]

SriLankan Airlines is the largest airline operating at the airport, with a fleet of 27 Airbus aircraft.^[11]

Terminals

Bandaranaike International Airport (airport code CMB^[12]) at Katunayake, Sri Lanka, is 32.5 kilometers north of the national capital, Colombo. 37 airlines currently serve the airport's over 10.79 million annual passengers.^[13] The airport has three passenger terminals. Terminal 1 is the current international terminal, built in 1967. Terminal 2 is the new international terminal, which is expected to be completed in 2025. Terminal 3 is the new domestic terminal, which opened in November 2012.

• Terminal 1 opened in 1967 and is the oldest and largest terminal in the airport. It has 12 gates. The arrival and departure areas are separated horizontally. All international flights currently use this terminal, until Terminal 2 opens in 2025. The terminal consists of a main terminal building directly connected to one concourse which houses all the gates. Once past security, passengers proceed through the long, arm-shaped concourse housing gates 6–14. On the upper level of this concourse, there are two lounges. In the main body of the terminal is SriLankan Airlines' "Serendib Lounge", and the Palm Spirit lounge. This area has duty-free shops, a tea shop, a cafeteria, a smoking lounge, and day-rooms and showers.
• Terminal 2 broke ground in April 2017 and is planned to open in 2025. It is planned to have 8 gates and 14 passenger boarding bridges, with arrival and departure areas separated vertically. An additional gate comprising two passenger boarding bridges will be designed for the Airbus A380.
• Terminal 3 opened in November 2012 and handles all domestic flights. Its arrival and departure areas are separated horizontally.^[14]
• The Cargo Terminal opened in October 2009 and handles all cargo flights. Its arrival and departure areas are separated horizontally.

Aprons

• Apron Alpha: It is the oldest existing apron at the airport. It has 9 parking bays including 5 remote parking bays and 4 boarding bridge equipped bays. It can handle 4 Boeing 747 aircraft and 5 Airbus A330-200 aircraft at once.
• Apron Bravo: It has 8 parking bays, including 4 remote parking bays and 4 boarding bridge-equipped bays. It can simultaneously handle 8 wide-body aircraft. The 4 remote bays will be converted into 4 Airbus A380-capable boarding bridges under the Stage II development project.
• Apron Charlie: It has 8 parking bays, all of them are remote bays. It can simultaneously handle 8 wide-body aircraft. The remote bays will be converted into 8 Airbus A380-capable boarding bridges under the Stage II development project. It is the only apron currently capable of handling the Airbus A380-800. It has been used by Emirates Airbus A380s thrice.
• Apron Delta: It has 4 parking bays capable of handling narrow-body aircraft.
• Apron Echo: Newest apron of the airport, has 17 parking bays. Opened on 25 November 2021.^[15]

Runway

The Bandaranaike International Airport has a single runway (04/22), with an asphalt surface. The take-off and landing distances are 3,441 m and 3,350 m respectively.^[16] In addition, Phase II of the BIA expansion project is to have a second runway, also able to accommodate the A380, with another taxiway to the second runway.

Aircraft such as the Boeing 777, A350-1000, and 747 are the largest aircraft that the runway can currently accommodate. Moreover, there have been instances where even larger aircraft have landed at the airport but had to use excessive braking to stop. This has resulted in the aircraft's brakes overheating due to the excessive braking.

Lounges

Bandaranaike International Airport has a total of 6 lounges. There are four paid lounges: the Executive Lounge, Silk Route Arrival and Departure Lounges, and Gold Route Arrival and Departure Lounges. Passengers transiting via CMB can pay around $21 USD per person for a 3 to 6 hour stay. For more information, passengers can refer to the airport website. Additionally, there are two "Privilege Lounges," namely the Lotus Lounge and Araliya Lounge. Sri Lankan Airlines also operates its own Serendib Lounge, which passengers traveling in business class can access for free. Lounges provide complimentary food and drink services as a way to relax.

Parking

The airport has a total of three open air parking areas. The remote car park is located about 300m away from the terminal and it can accommodate Cars, Vans, Double Cabs and Jeeps.

Phase II of the Airport expansion project aims to build a 5 storey car park to accommodate increasing passenger traffic.

Available frequencies

The airport has a total of four available frequencies that pilots can use to communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC). The first one is the Bandaranaike International Airport Approach at 132.4 MHz, and the other is Bandaranaike International Airport Tower at 118.7 MHz. Ground communication is at 121.9 MHz, while ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) is at 127.2 MHz.

Colombo Control (BIA Approach) - 132.4Mhz

Bandaranaike International Airport Tower - 118.7Mhz

Bandaranaike International Airport Ground - 121.9 MHz

Bandaranaike International Airport ATIS - 127.2 MHz

The airport is undergoing resurfacing of its runway. Future projects include a second runway to support the Airbus A380, a further eight passenger gates, a domestic terminal, a five-storey car-park, and a five-star hotel neighbouring the airport. Construction of new approach channels to the airport began in April 2017.^[17]

A new split-level passenger terminal building, which separates arrivals and departures vertically, a new pier with eight boarding gates, and fourteen passenger boarding bridges, with a dedicated gate comprising two passenger boarding bridges for the new Airbus A380, will be included in the proposed new complex. There would also be a remote apron and an additional nine parking stands to ease air traffic movement. There would be a tax-free apparel shopping mall at the Katunayake BOI Zone to attract more business visitors to Sri Lanka. The mall is to be adjacent to the arrival terminal and connected by a sky bridge.

The second stage will involve the acquisition of 600 ha (1,500 acres) of public land, the construction of a runway capable of accommodating new-generation airplanes, an aircraft repair and maintenance center, an arrival and a departure terminal, a shopping arcade, a cargo complex connected to the airport by rail and a multi-storey car park. Under the Development Project Phase II, Stage 2, a second passenger terminal and a required utility for a second terminal will be constructed. The terminal, aircraft parking apron, and public utilities will also be expanded. The existing airport terminal will be converted to a domestic and regional terminal, when the new complex is ready. A two-tier passenger terminal with arrivals and departures physically separated as found in most modern airports will also be constructed. A rapid exit to the Colombo – Katunayake Highway will be provided directly from the terminal.

The construction work of Package B –"Remote Apron and Taxiways" commenced in April 2017.

Project phases and construction

The second phase of the expansion project is being carried out with Japanese assistance and is expected to be completed by 2025.

• November 2007 to August 2014 – Development stage of Phase II.
• The new design, submitted in July 2014, provided a green terminal, utilizing the sun with more eco-friendly concepts incorporated.
• On 7 Sep 2014, the Japanese premier launched stage 2 of the second phase of the BIA development project on his arrival at the airport, which is being funded by the Japanese government.
• 2017-2025, the construction for the new terminal commenced in April 2017 and will be completed in 2025.^[18]
• The Construction of Phase II was re-launched on 18 November 2020.^[19]
• The construction of the second terminal of Katunayake Airport, which started in 2020 was stopped in 2022. The main reason for this was the economic recession in the country by March 2022.

Summary of Phase II

The second phase of the expansion project at Katunayake Airport is underway with Japanese assistance and was initially projected for completion by 2025. However, due to current delays, there is a possibility of extended timelines, potentially leading to completion by late 2026 to 2027. Shown below is a summary of Phase II

Passenger

Cargo

Annual Passenger Traffic from CMB Airport (2012-Present)

From 2012 to 2023, there was a general trend of gradual increase in passenger traffic. Both departures and arrivals showed steady growth over this period, with some occasional fluctuations. In 2012, there were 3,837,541 departures and 3,554,969 arrivals, totaling 7,392,510 passengers. Over the years, CMB experienced its highest amount of Passenger traffic which was 5,389,082 Departures and 4,930,455 totaling an impressive amount of 10,319,537. However passenger numbers fluctuated. Due to the 2019 Easter bombings, passenger traffic began to slow down. During the Covid pandemic, passenger traffic dwindled, reaching an all-time low of 1,231,939 departures and 792,002 arrivals, totaling 2,023,941 passengers, which was significantly lower compared to other years.

However, after the pandemic, passenger traffic at CMB has been recovering gradually, with a total increase of 160.4% compared to 2021. Furthermore, it is expected that CMB will recover to 8 million passengers in 2024.

Annual passenger traffic from CMB Airport (2012-Present)^[45]

Year	Departures	Arrivals	Total	Change in Passenger traffic
2012	3,837,541	3,554,969	7,392,510	N/A
2013	3,590,122	3,690,047	7,280,169	1.5% (Decrease)
2014	3,621,822	3,893,400	7,515,222	3.2% (Increase)
2015	3,926,447	4,273,959	8,200,406	9.1% (Increase)
2016	4,252,619	4,684,762	8,937,381	9.0% (Increase)
2017	4,657,456	4,970,549	9,627,005	7.7% (Increase)
2018	4,851,216	5,409,587	10,260,803	6.6% (Increase)
2019	5,389,082	4,930,455	10,319,537	0.6% (Decrease)
2020	4,970,184	1,140,989	6,111,173	40.7% (Decrease)
2021	1,231,939	792,002	2,023,941	66.9% (Decrease)
2022	708,076	2,624,169	3,332,245	64.7% (Increase)
2023	2,878,370	3,637,041	6,515,411	95.7% (Increase)

Annual cargo statistics for CMB Airport (2012-Present)

From 2012 to 2023, there was fluctuating trends in cargo movements, with notable increases and decreases over the years. For instance, there were steady increases in cargo volume from 2012 to 2018, followed by a significant decrease in 2021 to 2023, This was due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Cargo volumes are expected to recover by 2024 to 2025.

Annual cargo statistics for CMB Airport (2012-Present)^[46]

Year	Outbound	Inbound	Total	Change in Cargo Volume
2012	95,411	63,161	158,572	N/A
2013	108,043	66,602	174,645	10.2% (Increase)
2014	119,447	71,776	191,223	9.5% (Increase)
2015	115,400	77,040	192,440	0.6% (Decrease)
2016	116,585	98,446	215,031	11.7% (Increase)
2017	146,920	107,349	254,269	18.2% (Increase)
2018	152,748	113,516	266,264	4.7% (Increase)
2019	162,011	106,485	268,496	0.8% (Increase)
2020	151,547	94,859	246,406	8.2% (Decrease)
2021	86,327	49,766	136,093	44.7% (Decrease)
2022	111,463	72,676	184,139	35.2% (Increase)
2023	103,357	63,612	166,969	9.5% (Decrease)

Busiest international routes from CMB

Bandaranaike International Airport connects to 51 airports across 28 countries. The airport operates an average of around 550 scheduled international flights weekly. The routes between Colombo (CMB) and Dubai (DXB), Male (MLE), and Chennai (MAA) are the busiest, with an average of 52 flights operating between these destinations per week.

Busiest international routes from CMB^{[47][better source needed]} (As of April 2024)

Rank	Destination	Country	Frequency (Weekly)
1	Dubai	UAE	55
3	Chennai	India	54
2	Malé	Maldives	53
4	Doha	Qatar	42
5	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	25
9	Mumbai	India	22
7	Abu Dhabi	UAE	21
8	Delhi	India	18
6	Bengaluru	India	16
10	Kuwait city	Kuwait	16
Passenger Movements,[48] Aircraft Movements,[49] Cargo Movements[50]

Busiest domestic routes from CMB

Bandaranaike International Airport also serves as a hub for connecting various domestic destinations. Currently, Cinnamon Air operates several flights per week to domestic destinations, with the most popular ones being Batticoloa, Trincomalee, Sigiriya, and Hambanthota.

Bus

A coach service operates every 15 minutes from the terminal to Colombo via  E03  Colombo – Katunayake Expressway, with a travel time of around 30 minutes.

Coach services are sometimes operated using Mitsubishi Fusa Rosa buses which can carry around 20 people. These busses are small with average legroom.

Passengers can also get buses to and from the airport to other cities such as Galle, Kadawatha, Matara, and Nugegoda. These coach services are usually operated by third parties and not the airport authorities.

Car

 E03  Colombo – Katunayake Expressway is a high-speed road linking the airport to the city of Colombo with a travel time of around 20 minutes, and just a few minutes to the city of Negombo. The airport taxi service operates a counter in the arrival Lobby with a fleet over 600 vehicles. This road is linked to coastal cities like and Galle and Matara by Southern Highway with a travel time of 2-2.15 hours to Matara.

In addition to traditional taxi services, travelers can easily access convenient ride-sharing services such as Uber and PickMe. These platforms offer a reliable means of travel, allowing passengers to easily reach their destinations at an affordable price. Furthermore, the introduction of ride-sharing services has proven to be a better alternative compared to the traditional taxi services typically available at the airport.

Uber and PickMe also have dedicated pick-up points at CMB, making it easier for travelers to get picked up by drivers and reduce delays in pick-up times.

Rail

During the early 2000s and late 2010s, Airport and Aviation Services (AASL) chartered DMU units from Sri Lanka Railways, which were used to operate an Airport Express train from Colombo Fort Railway Station to Katunayake Railway Station. The train is a Japanese-built Class S5 DMU Unit, constructed between 1969 and 1970. Initially, the train was chartered to pick up passengers from Katunayake; however, as of April 2024, it is no longer in operation. Nevertheless, according to some sources, there are plans to restart the express train with more modern DMUs such as the Class S13 and Class S14. However, it remains largely speculative at this point.

A high-speed rail system is proposed to connect the city of Negombo to the city of Colombo via BIA airport by an electrified high-speed rail link to Colombo Fort, where it will connect to the proposed Colombo Light Rail. Currently, the Puttalam - Colombo Fort rail is active, using several diesel-engine-powered trains. Passengers can access commuter rail from Katunayake Railway Station and continue their journey up to Colombo Fort. From there, various intercity trains are available to Badulla, Batticaloa, Galle, Jaffna, Kandy, Matara, and Trincomalee

However, it is important to note that Katunayake Railway Station is a low-frequency station, with trains rarely stopping there except for slow trains, commuter trains, or tanker trains used to haul jet fuel from Colombo to the airport.

In terms of price comparison, rail is the cheapest option but often the slowest form of transportation out of the airport. Travelers usually opt for bus or car transportation as it is faster, albeit more expensive.

Sea

Cinnamon Air operates scheduled seaplane flights from Seeduwa Dadugam Oya near the airport using Cessna 208 aircraft. They also operate various flights to Ratmalana International Airport.

SLAF Katunayake
Katunayake, Western Province
Type	Cantonment
Site information
Controlled by	Sri Lanka Air Force
Website	Official website
Site history
Built	1944
In use	1956–present
Garrison information
Current commander	Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa[51]

In 1956, with the departure of the RAF from RAF Negombo, the Royal Ceylon Air Force took over and renamed the station RCyAF Katunayake. With the construction of the Bandaranaike International Airport, a major portion of the air base was taken over. However the Sri Lanka Air Force remained and expanded its air base adjoining the International Airport. Currently it is the largest SLAF station in the country and several flying squadrons as well as ground units are based there. The Air Force Hospital is also based at SLAF Katunayake.^[51]

In March 2001, on the 50th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force, the airfield was presented with the President's Colours.^[52]

SLAF Base Katunayake offers a wide range of recreational and sports facilities for its personnel, including a fully equipped gymnasium, a sports arena, a swimming pool, and a cinema. Additionally, the Base provides accommodation to several hundred families of Air Force personnel through its married quarters complex. It serves as the main administrative element of the Southern Air Command of the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The following are the formations which are based at SLAF Katunayake.^[53]

Formations based at SLAF Katunayake

• 
  Kfir Israeli made C2 Fighter-bomber Aircraft of No. 10 "Fighter" Squadron
• 
  An-32B transport aircraft of No. 2 Heavy Transport Squadron
• 
  Chengdu F-7 of No. 5 Fighter Squadron at the 70th Independence day
• 
  Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of No. 2 Heavy Transport Squadron

1970s

• On 4 December 1974, Martinair Flight 138, a Douglas DC-8 operating by Garuda Indonesia flew into the side of a mountain while on landing approach to Bandaranaike. The pilots had mistakenly believed that a power station near a mountainous area was the airport. All 191 passengers and crew on board were killed.^[54]
• On 15 November 1978, Icelandic Airlines Flight 001, a Douglas DC-8 operating by Garuda Indonesian Airways on a charter hajj flight, crashed into a coconut plantation while on approach to Katunayake, Sri Lanka for a refueling stop. 183 out of 262 people on board were killed.

1980s

• 3 May 1986 – Air Lanka Flight 512. In an operation carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers), a bomb in an Air Lanka (now SriLankan Airlines) Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 100 exploded while passengers were boarding for a short-hop flight to Malé, in the Maldives. 14 passengers were killed, and the aircraft was written off.^[55]

2000s

• 24 March 2000 – An Antonov 12BK operated by cargo carrier Sky Cabs crashed due to lack of fuel. It crashed into two houses killing four people on the ground and six of the eight crew on board.^[55]
• 24 July 2001 – Bandaranaike Airport attack. 14 members of the LTTE Black Tiger suicide squad infiltrated Katunayake air base and destroyed eight military aircraft on the tarmac. Moving to the civilian airport, they destroyed two Airbus aircraft and damaged three others. Seven government personnel were killed.^[55]
• 4 February 2004 – An Ilyushin 18D cargo plane operated by Phoenix Aviation and chartered by the Sri Lankan cargo company Expo Aviation was landing in Colombo on a flight from Dubai. The copilot incorrectly set the altimeter and the landing gear contacted the surface of the sea, 10.7 km (6.6 mi) short of the runway. A belly landing was performed 50 m (160 ft) to the right of the runway.^[55]
• 8 September 2005 – While a Saudia Boeing 747 taxied for takeoff on an international flight from Colombo to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, air traffic controllers received an anonymous telephone call concerning a possible bomb on the aircraft. The crew was informed about this call and elected to perform an emergency evacuation. As a result of the evacuation, there were 62 injuries among the 420 passengers and 22 crew members. One of the passengers died as a result of injuries received during the evacuation, and 17 passengers were hospitalized. No explosive device was found during a search of the aircraft.^[56]
• 25 March 2007 – At 00:45 the Tamil Tigers bombed the Sri Lanka Air Force base adjoining the international airport. Three Air Force personnel were killed and 16 injured when light aircraft dropped two bombs, although no aircraft were damaged. Passengers already on aircraft were disembarked and led to a shelter, while others trying to reach the airport were turned away and approach roads closed. The airport was temporarily shut down following the incident, but normal flights resumed at 03:30.^[57]

• Visa policy of Sri Lanka
• Colombo–Katunayake Expressway
• List of airports in Sri Lanka
• Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana, secondary international airport serving Colombo.
• Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Hambantota

Citations

Bibliography

• Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.

Media related to Bandaranaike International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website of the Bandaranaike International Airport
• Sri Lanka Air Force Base Katunayake
• Sri Lanka Aviation Discussion Forum & Aviator Fan Club