India heeded his request not to seek joint venture to run Mattala airport: Sri Lanka PM Mahinda Rajapaksa
Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has claimed that India on his government’s request has decided not to seek a joint venture with it to run the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in the country. The USD 210 million facility, 241km south-east of Colombo, is dubbed the “world’s emptiest airport” due to a lack of flights.
The Mattala airport was funded through high interest Chinese commercial loans. The airport, built with the capacity to handle one million passengers a year, was officially opened in March 2013.
