FINANCIAL CHRONICLE — The construction of a second runway at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake, Sri Lanka’s primary airport, has been postponed until at least 2055, as per recommendations from an international master plan, according to Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation, Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku.
Rather than pursuing the development of a new runway, modifications will be made to the current runway, he stated. The idea of expanding the airport with an additional runway was first proposed two decades ago, but the initiative did not progress.
Deputy Minister Kodithuwakku noted that the final master plan for BIA is nearing completion, with an international firm engaged for this purpose. “The recommendations indicate that a second runway will not be necessary until 2055, but we must modify the existing runway,” he informed FINANCIAL CHRONICLE. The name of the international firm has not been disclosed.
BIA serves as the main gateway for international trade and tourism in Sri Lanka, yet it is currently experiencing significant operational challenges due to its dependence on a single, aging runway. The airport is encountering a surge in passenger traffic following a post-crisis recovery and is also establishing itself as a transit hub in South Asia. The existing 3,350-meter asphalt runway is operating close to its full capacity, leading to considerable congestion and making the nation’s aviation network susceptible to disruptions; even routine maintenance or technical issues can lead to a complete halt of air traffic.
To mitigate this vulnerability and accommodate larger aircraft, including the Airbus A380, the government has outlined a long-term Phase II Master Plan, which includes the construction of a second parallel runway, expected to extend up to 4,000 meters. However, finalizing the technical designs and addressing land acquisition challenges remain key obstacles to transforming BIA into a robust dual-runway airport capable of managing over 15 million passengers each year.
Themiya Abeywickrama, a former Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, highlighted that the single runway at BIA is functioning well below its potential capacity due to institutional issues, including a lack of confidence among air traffic control (ATC) personnel and the absence of high-speed exit taxiways. While global airports can efficiently clear aircraft in one to two minutes, BIA currently requires an inefficient seven-minute gap between landings.
Abeywickrama referenced London’s Gatwick Airport, which, despite primarily operating with a single runway, managed an impressive 263,049 air traffic movements in 2025. “Gatwick also operates on a single runway and handles approximately 45 to 50 departures each hour, along with a similar number of landings,” he remarked.
Additionally, the lack of rapid-exit taxiways at BIA necessitates that aircraft decelerate significantly on the active runway to execute sharp turns into terminal slots, causing severe traffic delays. “The primary issue is that Colombo airport lacks high-speed taxiways, which allow aircraft to exit the runway efficiently,” Abeywickrama explained.
He cautioned that constructing a parallel runway too close to the existing one would not provide meaningful operational benefits, and that upgrading the current runway would be significantly less costly than building a new one. (Colombo/June 11/2026)
