Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, says an industry expert, with sheer disdain, “is the biggest insult to aviation done in the name of furthering aviation by any Head of State, Minister of Aviation or anyone I have known in my entire career.”
There are so many things awry with Mattala. Practitioners do not know where to begin. The runway orientation is wrong. “It is so wrong that the airport is doomed,” was the direst opinion expressed.The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)’s manual for aerodrome construction specifies that wind speed and direction must be taken into account when building a runway. An aircraft must land into the wind (“headwind”, as it is called).
As confirmed by several sources, as well as a senior retired air traffic controller, the wind blows perpendicular to the centre line of the runway at MRIA — that is, across it. This is called “crosswind” and is the worst type of condition for landing. A cursory glance at the wind sock gives indication of this.“As a matter of interest — but something that most readers would not find surprising — Sri Lankan pilots were not consulted when MRIA was constructed,” Captain G.A. Fernando, a vocal retired aviator, is on record as saying. “Today, aircraft landing there in the afternoon experience crosswinds of over 30 knots, which could be over the demonstrated crosswind limits for some aircraft.”While heavy planes might manage with a technique called “crab-landing”, these circumstances are particularly dangerous to light training aircraft which can get pushed off the runway by gusting wind. “You can never have ab initio flying training at Mattala,” declared another industry expert. “If you permit it, you are paving the way for a serious accident. We are now saddled forever with an airport whose runway orientation is wrong.”The airstrip, at 3,500m long and 60m wide, is capable of landing an A380 aircraft. But it has no parallel taxiway which is essential for big, heavy aircraft. A plane landing away from the terminal will have to do a 180-degree turn at the end of the runway and retrace its path.The wear and tear inflicted on the airstrip and on the wheels of the aircraft by this manoeuvre is immense. If, on top of everything, there are also no passengers on board, the operation becomes financially unfeasible. These factors could explain why, despite all the bragging, the expected traffic did not arrive on the longest runway in the country.Another reason could be the Government’s insistence of protecting the national carrier at the expense of its airports and aviation industry. “Introducing an open skies policy to Mattala has no meaning when Katunayake has restricted freedoms,” said an official, also requesting anonymity. “Whenever international airlines ask for more operating rights, SriLankan Airlines blocks it for fear of competition.”“But what is the return on investment on an airline?” he asked. “In contrast, what is the return on investment on an airport? Every international aviation hub is a thundering financial success.”Many of the other flaws are widely known including elephants on the access road (particularly at night, as there is no protective fencing along the route) and birds. The Civil Aviation Authority’s statistics show that as many as 15 bird strikes were recorded at MRIA in 2014, four times more than the previous year.
හදපු එකා කියනවා තව අවුරුදු 100කින් ගම දියුණු වෙලා මිනිස්සු සුපර්මාකට් එයි එතකොට අපිට ලැබ තියෙනෙ කියල 
