India and Russia form partnership for Sri Lanka airport

02 May 2024 CW Team

The contract to manage Sri Lanka's Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport for 30 years has been won by a joint venture between an Indian and a Russian firm. The airport, situated near Hambantota, where China operates a port on lease, was once known as the "world's emptiest airport" due to a lack of flights. Its construction cost amounted to $ 209 million. The airport's strategic location near the Hambantota port on Sri Lanka's southern coast adds to its significance.

This marks the second joint project between India and Russia in India's vicinity, following the Roopur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. While Russia is responsible for constructing the power plant, India is contributing by providing training to locals and assisting with certain logistics. According to government spokesman and minister Bandula Gunawardena, the Sri Lankan Cabinet decided on January 9 to invite expressions of interest for the airport management contract. Five proposals were submitted, and a consultative committee appointed by the Cabinet recommended awarding the management contract to the joint venture of Shaurya Aeronautics of India and Russia's Airports of Regions Management Company. The Cabinet endorsed this recommendation.

The construction of the Mattala airport was one of the significant infrastructure projects during Mahinda Rajapaksa's nearly decade-long rule of Sri Lanka. Since 2016, the Sri Lankan government had been seeking commercial partners to manage the airport due to its substantial financial losses.

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