Sri Lankan 'ghost' airport draws 19 investor proposals

Dhaka: Sri Lanka's Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation has received 19 investment proposals through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process aimed at drawing investors to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA).

Bidders reportedly include several leading enterprises from the Middle East, India, and China.

The ministry opened the proposals on July 9 at its offices, following the closure of submissions. The process, launched on behalf of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd., sought both local and international investors interested in business opportunities at the airport.

The proposals span two categories: Airside/Aerodrome Operations, covering civil airport activities within the inner perimeter, and Landside Operations, spanning both the inner and outer perimeter zones. Applicants were required to prove relevant qualifications and prior experience in running similar ventures.

A project committee under the Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee (CANC) will now review the submissions and shortlist potential investors for each business segment.

Shortlisted parties will then move to the next procurement stage through a Request for Proposals (RFP), the ministry added.

The submission deadline had earlier been pushed back to July 9 after the CANC approved additional preparation time for interested investors.

The push to attract investment comes as authorities look to boost the airport's commercial performance. A recent audit found MRIA had racked up net losses of LKR 39.3 billion over the past six years.

The airport, located in southern Sri Lanka, has long struggled with low passenger traffic and underused capacity since opening in 2013, prompting successive governments to explore ways to make it commercially viable.