ඔව්, රනවේ එක දික් කලාට පස්සේ රත්මලානේ ඉඳලා පර්ත් යන එක පටන් අරගෙන, 05/04/1946 තමයි අන්තිම ප්ලේන් එක පර්ත් ඉඳලා රත්මලානට ඇවිත් තියෙන්නේ.
//Not until 1945, when runway extensions were carried out (aided by a team of elephants), did Ratmalana become the departure point for Qantas services to Australia.
Consequently, on April 5, 1946, the departure from Perth of a QEA Liberator bound for Colombo rang down the curtain on what was the world’s longest regular airline sector. In fact, the Catalinas’ Koggala to Perth nonstop ‘Double Sunrise’ flights which began in 1943 remain the longest in terms of flying time for airline operations. It is a record that will probably stand unbroken until regular inter-planetary travel becomes a reality!
Importantly, let us not underestimate or forget how the tiny island of Sri Lanka, by virtue of its geographically strategic location, ensured the success of that crucial air route during World War II.//
