The Sri Lankan cabinet has given the go-ahead to amend the country’s civil aviation law to allow public-private partnerships in the aviation sector, a development that may open up opportunities for Indian companies.
Sri Lanka may allow the participation of private companies in ground handling at the airports at the initial stage, said people familiar with the matter.
In December 2022, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, had said that India was ready to work with the Sri Lankan government in upgrading and expanding the facilities at the Palaly international airport in Jaffna. It would especially benefit the small and medium segments of the business, apart from strengthening the traditional ties between the people of the two countries, he had said.
Recently, SriLankan Airlines said it will start operations from additional three cities in India, including Ahmedabad, to attract more Indian customers. At present, it operates in nine Indian cities. FitsAir, Sri Lanka’s first privately owned international airline, inaugurated its flights on the Colombo-Chennai sector in February. Chennai is its first destination in India.