While presenting the budget, the President also disclosed details regarding the plan to select an investor for Mattala Airport next year.
President Anura Dissanayake noted that although Mattala Airport commenced commercial operations in 2013, it has consistently incurred losses. Consequently, he stated that the process of calling for expressions of interest from international companies to restructure the airport has already been completed. “Although the Mattala International Airport was constructed with a loan of US$ 190 million and commenced flight operations in 2013, it has now recorded a cumulative loss exceeding 70,000 million rupees.
Furthermore, this loss continues to rise annually. Consequently, the process of calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) has already been completed with the aim of developing sectors such as airport operations, data centers, catering services, and aircraft maintenance in collaboration with international companies.
Steps are currently being taken to invite formal proposals from the shortlisted companies, and we expect to select new investors for this purpose by next year,” the President further stated.