Indo-Lanka connectivity will take another giant leap forward when IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, begins daily operations to the Jaffna International Airport (IATA Code JAF) in Palaly in the North from September 1 this year. India’s only State-owned airline Alliance Air already connects the city pair using ATR 72 turboprop planes.
IndiGo’s decision will immediately impart a bigger profile to Jaffna, the Northern capital and bring it even closer to Tamil Nadu, with which it shares cultural and linguistic links. Moreover, Northerners wishing to visit other cities and regions in India will have easy connections from Chennai via IndiGo or other airlines. Indeed, Chennai has many air connections to other major world cities and it may be easier for Northern residents to go to Chennai and then board those flights. They can thus avoid a tedious journey to Katunayake, 400 Km away.
It was not immediately clear as to which type of aircraft will be used by IndiGo for the Jaffna flights, but it is most likely to be the French-Italian ATR, which is used by IndiGo for many short-haul flights. This is mainly because Jaffna cannot yet handle bigger jet-powered regional aircraft such as the Airbus A220, Boeing 737 or the A320/321 due to the runway limitations at the airport. At just 1,400 metres long, it cannot handle the aforementioned jets which need a runway length of at least 2,300 metres. Indeed, there are plans to extend the runway to that length under the proposed first phase of development, while the second phase will extend that to around 3,500 metres, which can accommodate bigger jets such as the Airbus A350. If and when that happens, many regional and global airlines will be keen to commence operations to Jaffna.
SriLankan Airlines should also commence domestic and international flights from Jaffna. The Jaffna International Airport should also be upgraded with all modern facilities. Right now, it lacks infrastructure facilities such as jet bridges and modern check-in counters. These shortcomings should be rectified, especially if the runway expansion project takes off.
The modest success of the Jaffna Airport in just a couple of years (give the Covid-19 years a miss) naturally takes our focus to another “international” airport in the Deep South that receives virtually no planes. Dubbed by the aviation press as the world’s emptiest airport, the US$ 200 million Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (IATA Code HRI) was a vanity project of a previous Government. It was given the go-ahead despite clear evidence that it would not be successful, mainly due to the lack of catchment area for would-be passengers. Apart from a couple of diversions from Colombo in the case of bad weather, the HRI receives no regular international services.
Instead, that money should have gone to the Jaffna airport for the expansion. That did not happen, as the then Government was blinded by majoritarian rhetoric. But if JAF was expanded 10 years ago, it could already have become a major hub in the region. This is what happens when national interests are abandoned for political expediency.
The Batticaloa International Airport (IATA Code BTC), with a runway of 1,560 metres, is also a promising candidate for turboprop flights to India and the Middle East. However, this too should be expanded to accommodate larger passenger jets. Hingurakgoda too is to be upgraded to international standards – this airport already has a 2,200 metre runway, but it is still too early to say whether international airlines will come there as Trincomalee (China Bay) and Batticaloa airports are also not that far away.
It will be more prudent to divert those funds to the expansion of the Colombo International Airport at Ratmalana. Even with the JICA-funded expansion of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) back on track, it will be bursting at the seams a few years down the road as more airlines begin operations to Colombo and the number of passengers increases.
Every city worth its name has a second or secondary airport and some bigger cities even have five or six. Both Chennai and Bengaluru in India are scouting for locations for a second international airport, but Colombo already has one in Ratmalana (IATA Code RML), which is not being used properly. Currently, its runway length is only 1,800 metres, but if this can be extended to at least 3,000 metres, it can become Colombo’s second hub. There was a proposal to turn the Galle Road into an underpass in this area and extend the airport runway. This proposal should be revisited, given that many international airlines would seize an opportunity to have more flights to Colombo.
It also goes without saying that the restructuring of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier, should also be expedited, along with fleet renovation and renewal. It is the biggest airline flying out of Colombo and needs more aircraft to solidify its position. Sri Lanka should also implement an “Open Skies” policy to encourage more airlines to fly to Colombo and Jaffna, with attractive landing fees and slot timings. If Ratmalana also comes into the picture, Colombo can be the biggest airline hub of South Asia, even ahead of New Delhi and Mumbai, due to its strategic position between Singapore and Dubai. Indeed, apart from North America and South America, every other region is less than 11 hours flying time away from Colombo. This is an advantage that our authorities must harp on to give Sri Lanka an edge in the global aviation scene.
