Katunayake airport has fuel for 50 days

Due to the prevailing war situation in the Middle East region, many flight operations at Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport have been severely affected. According to Mr. Anura Karunathilaka, Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation, a total of 205 flights were cancelled yesterday (03) alone, based on a decision by the civil aviation authorities and airlines in the respective region.

This includes 107 flights scheduled to arrive at Katunayake Airport and 98 flights scheduled to depart from Sri Lanka to the Middle East.

However, the Minister confirmed that despite this crisis situation, a sufficient reserve of aviation fuel for the next 50 days is being safely maintained at Katunayake Airport. Further clarifying the flight restrictions in the region, he stated that Oman and Saudi Arabia have taken steps to open their airspaces, and therefore some airlines are currently operating through them. However, the airspaces of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah have been opened only for a limited period, and only specific aircraft are permitted to travel through them, he added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Anura Karunathilaka stated that a special program is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promptly bring back a large number of foreign tourists stranded in various other countries, who are hoping to come to Sri Lanka. Concurrently, plans are also underway to deploy special aircraft via alternative routes, bypassing the Middle East region, to send tourists currently in Sri Lanka back to England, Germany, and France. The Minister further emphasized that using these alternative flight routes will result in additional flying time, thus necessitating a limitation on the amount of cargo carried by the respective aircraft.