Sri Lanka’s Mattala airport handles 2739 passengers in 2015
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Chinese built aiport in Mattala in Hambantota handled 2,379 passengers in 2015 down from 20,474 a year earlier, official data showed.
Total cargo handled was 1.2 metric tonnes, down from 68.9 metric tonnes a year earlier, the central bank said in its annual report.
The central bank in its annual report said aircraft movements fell to 906 from 2,329 a year earlier.
From February 2015, after loss-making state carrier SriLankan Airlines stopped operations to the airport, activity had fallen sharply.
The new administration is trying to get a Chinese company involved in its operation to help service the debt taken to build it.
The airport was built on a turnkey contract by China, but the loan has to be serviced by state-run Airport and Aviation Services Ltd.