Airport Overview

Mattala Rajapaksha International Airport is the first greenfield airport and the second international airport after BIA in Sri Lanka. It is used for public purposes. Yet due to low demand, it is used as an aircraft parking facility and aviation training center. For emergency situations, Mattala Rajapaksha International Airport could be useful due to low traffic in the airport.

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

Government of Sri Lanka has the authority of the Mattala International Airport while Airport and aviation services Ltd manages the airport. Ceylon Petrol Cooperation (CEYPETCO) provides fueling facilities and Sri Lankan cargo provides cargo handling services. The security is provided by Airport and aviation services Ltd and Screening of passengers and clearance of goods is done by Sri Lanka customs.

For more information on airport contacts, please see the following link: 4.5 Airport Companies Contact List.

Information on some aviation service providers can be found at http://www.azfreight.com/

Passenger and Cargo Performance Indicator

Runways

Mattala International Airport carries only one runaway. It can accommodate A380 aircraft.

Helicopter Pad(s)

No helicopter pads available. But the runaway is used to land helicopters if necessary.

Airport Infrastructure Details

As the airport was built recently the infrastructure is not in need of immediate maintenance. Yet the maintenance process is periodically happening. All the infrastructure facilities needed for international transportation is acquired.

Airport Operating Details

Customs Guidance

Sri Lanka customs headquarters is located at a walking distance from the port of Colombo. The customs administration is a department coming under the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media. The main activities of the customs at the port are the cCollection of revenue, prevention of revenue leakages and other frauds, facilitation of legitimate trade, collection of import and export data to provide statistics and cooperation and coordination with other government departments and stakeholders in respect of imports and exports. Before exporting, a declaration document should be submitted along with other documents. The cusdec is an important document which should be produced to the customs. It is a document based on the internationally recognized Single Administrative Document (SAD).

Information regarding the documents needed is available at: http://www.customs.gov.lk/exports/support_doc.

For more information on customs in Sri Lanka, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information. 

Storage Facilities

Mattala International Airport has airport cargo facilities occupying 1000m² and can handle up to 50,000 tonnes per year.

Airfield Costs

Navigation Charges

Aircrafts of the United Nations and its specialized agencies are exempted from landing charges. Except where prior arrangements for payment of charges on a monthly basis have been made, all landing and parking charges are payable to the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) or to a person authorized by him in writing. Landing and parking charges for international operations should be paid in United States Dollars (US$) or Pounds Sterling (£) in cash prior to the departure of an aircraft.

Fuel Service Charges

Fueling is done by the CEYPETCO unit available in the Bandaranaike International Airport. They also provide storage for fuel. Cooperate and executive jets and registered foreign military aircrafts are allowed to refuel at the station in Mattala. The fuel is imported and refined by CEYPETCO and ensures the quality of the fuel provided. CEYPETCO in Mattala airport provides hydrant fueling and refueling facilities.

Cargo Terminal Charges

Air-bridge Charges

Aero-bridge charges shall be levied based on the aircraft category as set out in the table below:

1. Minimum charge per single operation will be as per Base charge specified in the above table.
2. Allocation of parking bays will be done by the TWR. Unless for valid reason agreed by the TWR, it is mandatory for airlines to accept the allocated bay.
3. Depending on the operational requirements the TWR may request the airline to tow the aircraft away from the aerobridge to another bay and reposition the aircraft at a bridge bay for departure. Under such circumstances, it is mandatory that the airline makes necessary arrangement to tow the aircraft out and in. Unless for special reasons, the TWR would not make such request to tow out within 2 hours from the initial docking. The aircraft will be later allowed to be re-docked for operations. Charges on such cases will be as for a single operation calculated based on the total occupancy time of the aircraft kept docked at the bridge. In the event the airline fails to tow out the aircraft from aerobridge upon request by the TWR without justifiable reasons, aerobridge charges will be levied for the total period which it had occupied the bridge bay notwithstanding the terms given in item 4 below. In addition, a penalty which is equal to the total aerobridge charge will also be imposed. d) The airline has the option to tow out bays.
4. Aerobridge will be retracted and redocked at any time on request by the airline. The charges will be calculated based on total occupancy time of the aircraft kept docked at the aerobridge, considering as a single operation. However, in such situations, US$ 15 will be levied as an additional operational charge. Use of step ladders in place of aerobridges is not permitted.
5. Long lay over aircraft: If aerobridge is not required for any other operation, the TWR may decide to allow the aircraft to continue parking at the aerobridge to a maximum period of six (06) hours. Aerobridge may be retracted or continued to be docked based on the requirement of the airline.  

Security

Security is provided by the Airport and aviation services (SL) Ltd under the virtue of;

• The Air Navigation Act No.15 (1950);
• Air Navigation Regulations (1955); and
• The Air Navigation (Special Provisions) Act No.55 (1992).
• Civil Aviation Act No.14 of 2010 

Security screenings are done for passengers and goods is to prevent any goods that pose a threat to to the safety of the aircraft entering the aircraft. Passengers are checked at 5 passenger identification units for both emigration and immigration. The baggage is checked at 3 points.

(Mattala Rajapaksha Inaternational Airport, 2019)