Mattala monthly income Rs. 1.2 m, expenditure Rs. 250 m - Patali

If one takes the Mattala Airport into account, its monthly income is around Rs. 1.2 million whereas the monthly expenditure was Rs. 250 million, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

“Despite gullible talk made by certain sections which had no proper economic or political knowledge or background, the Mattala Airport can never be made economically viable by the Airport Authority single handed,” Minister Ranawaka said.

He was speaking to the media after opening a new library building put up at the Mathugama Salalankaratissa Kanishta Vidyalaya with his Ministry funds recently.

“Every citizen of this country had to pocket out Rs.800 each to maintain the Mattala Airport built without any proper feasibility study. It was evident that the second airport which should have been built at Katunayake had been taken to Mattala for the sole purpose of adding one’s name tag for personal glory.

Today, the government had initiated talks between the Sri Lanka Aviation Authorities and the AAI (Airport Authority of India) to find out the possibility of handing over the operations to AAI while maintaining ownership by Sri Lanka,” Minister Ranawaka said.

“However, discussions had still not reached any finality. Once a decision was taken it would be submitted for Cabinet approval and thereafter announcement to the public for open discussion.

The people had the final option to decide whether this Airport should be maintained for a single person’s glorification or made economically viable for the interest of the nation,” the Minister said.

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