Bandaranaike International Airport
| Bandaranaike International Airport බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපොල பண்டாரநயாக்க சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம் |
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IATA: CMB – ICAO: VCBI
 CMB
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||
| Operator | Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd | ||
| Serves | Colombo | ||
| Location | Katunayake, Sri Lanka | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 26 ft / 8 m | ||
| Coordinates | 07°10′52″N 79°53′01″E / 7.18111°N 79.88361°ECoordinates: 07°10′52″N 79°53′01″E / 7.18111°N 79.88361°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 04/22 | 10,991 | 3,350 | Asphalt |
| TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Bandaranaike International Airport (also known as Katunayake International Airport and Colombo International Airport) (IATA: CMB, ICAO: VCBI) is Sri Lanka's only international airport at the moment. Mattala International Airport, when it gets built will be the second International Airport of Sri Lanka. It is located in Katunayake, 35 km (22 mi) north of Colombo. It is administered by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. It is the hub of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, and Mihin Lanka, the budget airline of Sri Lanka.
Contents |
[edit] History
The airport began as a Royal Air Force airfield in 1944 during the Second World War, RAF Station Negombo. In 1957, when SWRD Bandaranaike removed all the British Military airfields from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the airfield was handed over to the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) and renamed Katunayake. Part of it still remains an Air Force airfield.
In 1964 Anil Moonesinghe, the Cabinet 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 leased British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) VC-10. The airport was also a Trans World Airlines (TWA) hub for a short time.
It was named Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), after former Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike, in 1970. It was renamed Katunayake International Airport in 1977, but was changed back to Bandaranaike International Airport in 1995.
In the 1990s the position of the airport's runway (04/22) was shifted northward and the old runway was used as 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 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2016.[1]
On 7 May 2007 the Sri Lankan Government decided to shift some military aviation operations out of the space adjoining the airport to SLAF Hingurakgoda, thus paving the way for more 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.also unveiled plans to extend the Colombo-Katunayake airport express train to Ratmalana [1]
The airport is used by Emirates Airlines as an alternative emergency airport for its Airbus A380 aircraft.[1][2]
Bandaranaike International Airport is equipped with 16 double jetway gates and a new terminal is underway for airlines introducing the Airbus A380. Emirates Airlines will begin using the Airbus A380-800 for Dubai-Colombo route from 2012.
On 9th January 2012, an Airbus A380-800 operated by Emirates flight EK 413 from Sydney landed at Bandaranaike International Airport. This was the first time in history that an Airbus A380 had landed in a Sri Lankan airport. EK 413 had taken-off from Sydney en-route to Dubai, but needed a refueling stop. Originally planned to refuel at Singapore, it was decided to land in Colombo instead. The exact cause on why the A380 needed to refuel is not yet known.[3]
[edit] Future projects
The airport is undergoing resurfacing of its runway. It has been announced, as of December 3, 2009, that its current runway will be extended to 3,350 metres. Future projects may 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. New approach channels into the airport and the Construction begin in 2012 and finish in 2016.[4]
A new split level passenger terminal building which separates arrivals and departures vertically, a new pier with eight boarding gates and 14 passenger boarding bridges with a dedicated gate comprising two passenger boarding bridges for the operations of the new A-380 Airbus, will be included in the proposed new complex, he explained. There would also be a remote apron and an additional nine parking stands to ease air traffic movements. There would be a tax free apparel shopping mall at the Katunayake BOI Zone to attract more business visitors to Sri Lanka.The tax free shopping mall is to be located adjacent to the arrival terminal and connected by a sky bridge
[edit] Runway and expansion
The Bandaranaike international airport has a single runway (04/22) with asphalt surface. The take-off and landing distances of the runway are 3,441m and 3,350m respectively. The overall length of the runway is 91m.
- Runway Overlay by 2013
- A second runway begin construction on this work around March/April 2012
[edit] Phase II Expansion
- Airport access roads and landside curbs
- Multi-storey car park
- Expansion of the duty free area by 125 shops
- Pier (40 X 300 meters)- 16 aero-bridges
- Expansion of International Aircraft Parking capacity to 32 aircraft
- Expansion of cargo movement capacity to 1,000,000 tons per annum
- Additional Remote Aircraft Apron
- New Cargo Terminal Building
- Construction of new apron
- Construction of new taxiways
- Construction of a second runway
- Construction of elevated roadway and roads
- Construction of a passenger terminal building
- Construction of public utilities
- Renovation of departure and arrival porch and walkway at existing passenger building
- Construction of related facilities
- Domestic terminal at BIA
- Construction of elevated roadway and roads
- Construction of public utilities
- Construction of related facilities
- Construction of Air traffic control system
- Construction of electricity system
- Construction of road and multi-level car parking
- Construction of a power and water supply system
[edit] Airlines and destinations
[edit] Passenger airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aeroflot | Seasonal: Moscow-Sheremetyevo |
| Aerosvit Airlines | Seasonal: Kiev-Boryspil |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah |
| Air India | Chennai |
| Air India Express | Chennai |
| AirAsia | Kuala Lumpur |
| Arkefly | Amsterdam |
| Cathay Pacific | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong, Singapore |
| China Eastern Airlines | Kunming [resumes 2 April 2012], Malé [resumes 2 April 2012] |
| Condor Flugdienst | Seasonal: Frankfurt |
| Crystal Thai Airlines[5][6] | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi |
| Edelweiss Air | Seasonal: Zürich |
| Emirates | Dubai, Malé, Singapore |
| Enter Air | Seasonal Charter: Warsaw[7] |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi |
| Finnair | Seasonal Charter: Helsinki |
| Flydubai | Dubai |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain |
| Jet Airways | Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai |
| Kingfisher Airlines | Chennai, Tiruchirapalli |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur |
| Mihin Lanka | Dhaka, Dubai, Hambantota [begins 15 November], Jakarta-Soekarno–Hatta, Kuwait, Sharjah, Tiruchirapalli Seasonal: Gaya, Varanasi |
| Novair | Seasonal Charter: Copenhagen, Gothenburg-Landvetter, Stockholm-Arlanda |
| Oman Air | Malé, Muscat |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Islamabad [begins 31 March 2012][8], Lahore [begins 25 March 2012][9] |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Royal Jordanian | Amman-Queen Alia |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Jeddah, Riyadh |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| Spicejet | Chennai |
| SriLankan Airlines | Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing-Capital, Bangalore, Chennai, Dammam, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Hambantota [begins 15 November], Hong Kong, Jeddah, Karachi, Kochi, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London-Heathrow, Malé, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedevo, Mumbai, Muscat, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli, Tokyo-Narita, Zürich |
| Thai AirAsia | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi |
| Thai Airways International | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi |
| Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia | Seasonal Charter: Billund |
Note 1: ^ Although some of these flights make an intermediate stop en route to their listed destination, they do not have rights to carry traffic solely between Colombo and the intermediate city.
[edit] Cargo terminal
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| China Airlines | Luxembourg, Taipei-Taoyuan |
| Expoair Cargo | Karachi, Kozhikode, Lahore, Malé, Visakhapatnam |
| Midex Airlines | Al Ain |
| Qatar Airways Cargo | Doha, Lahore, Thiruvananthapuram |
| SriLankan Airlines Cargo operated by Lankan Cargo |
Bangalore, Chennai |
| SriLankan Airlines Cargo operated by Expoair Cargo |
Thiruvananthapuram |
[edit] Transport links
Travel between the airport and Colombo city center is available as follows:
[edit] Car
- Colombo-Katunayake Expressway is a new high-speed road linking the airport to Colombo, with a travel time of around 20 minutes.
[edit] Rail
- Airport Express Rail - Colombo Secretariat to Bandaranaike International Airport using a Hitachi Class S5 DMU.
[edit] SLAF Katunayake
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, 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. At present it is the largest SLAF station in the country and is the base for several flying squadrons as well as ground units. The Air Force Hospital is also based at SLAF Katunayake.
In March 2001, on the 50th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force, the base was presented with the President’s Colours.
[edit] Lodger squadrons
[edit] Incidents at Bandaranaike International Airport
- On 4 December 1974, Martinair Flight 138, a Douglas DC-8 flew into the side of a mountain while on landing approach to Bandaranaike. All 191 passengers and crew on board were killed.[10]
- On November 15, 1978, Icelandic Airlines Flight LL 001, a Douglas DC-8 on a charter flight, crashed into a coconut plantation while on approach to Katunayake, Sri Lanka for a refueling stop. 184 out of 264 people on board were killed.
- May 3, 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 where boarding for a short-hop flight to Malé, in the Maldives. 14 passengers were killed, and the aeroplane was written off.[11]
- March 24, 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.[11]
- 4 February 2000- An Ilyushin 18D cargo plane operated by Phoenix Aviation and charted to Sri Lankan cargo company Expo Aviation was landing in Colombo on a flight from Dubai. However, the copilot set the altimeter incorrectly 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.[11]
- July 24, 2001 - Bandaranaike Airport attack. 14 members of the LTTE Black Tiger suicide squad infiltrated Katunayake air base, destroying eight military aircraft on the tarmac. They then moved to the civilian airport, destroying two Airbus aircraft and damaging three others. Seven government personnel were killed.[11]
- September 8, 2005 - While a Saudi Arabian Airlines 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 devices were found after a search of the aircraft.[12]
- March 25, 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.[13]
[edit] See also
- Mattala International Airport
- Ratmalana Airport, Colombo's other airport
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Sri Lanka". airport-Technology. http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/bandaranaikeinternat/. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ Sirimane, Shirajiv (2010-02-14). "Airbus A380 to touch down at BIA". Sunday Observer. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2010/02/14/new05.asp. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ Sandaruwan, Miyuru. "Airbus A380 Touches Down in Sri Lanka for the first time". Airline Industry Review. http://airlineindustryreview.com/airbus-a380-touches-down-in-sri-lanka-for-the-first-time/. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ Ministry of Ports and Aviation Medium Term .Infrastructure Development Programme[dead link] Microsoft PowerPoint 10.5 MB 13 January 2008
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Thai_Airlines#Destinations
- ^ http://www.crystalthaiair.com/
- ^ Poland’s largest charter carrier to Colombo
- ^ Pakistan International to Resume Colombo Service in late-Mar 2012
- ^ Pakistan International to Resume Colombo Service in late-Mar 2012
- ^ "Aviation-Safety PH-MBH accident description page". Aviation-safety.net. 1974-12-04. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19741204-2. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ a b c d Accident history for CMB at Aviation Safety Network
- ^ http://www.caa.lk/pdf/accident_reports/HZ-AIP_08_Sept.%202005.pdf
- ^ "Situation at Katunayake brought totally under control [5th Lead]". Defence.lk. http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070326_01. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
