Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport
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Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ Maththala Rajapaksa Jathyanthara Guwanthotupala மத்தல ராஜபக்ஷ பன்னாட்டு விமான நிலையம் |
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | GoSL | ||||||||||
| Operator | AASL | ||||||||||
| Serves | Hambantota | ||||||||||
| Location | Mattala, Hambantota, Sri Lanka | ||||||||||
| Time zone | SLST (UTC+05:30) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 48 m / 157 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 06°17′20″N 81°07′25″E / 6.28889°N 81.12361°ECoordinates: 06°17′20″N 81°07′25″E / 6.28889°N 81.12361°E | ||||||||||
| Website | www |
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| Map | |||||||||||
 HRI
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| Passengers | 20,474 |
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| Cargo (t) | 69 |
| Aircraft movements | 2,984 |
Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) (IATA: HRI, ICAO: VCRI) is an international airport serving southeast Sri Lanka. It is located in the town of Mattala, 18 km (11 mi) from Hambantota. It is the first greenfield airport and the second international airport in the country, after Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. The airport is named after the Rajapaksa family.
MRIA was opened in March 2013 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who ordered the construction of the airport. Initially, several airlines flew to the airport, including SriLankan Airlines which established a hub. However, due to low demand, most of these airlines left Mattala. As of May 2016, three airlines fly from the airport to destinations within Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
Due to the low number of flights, it has been proposed to offer long-term aircraft parking services as well as creating flying schools and maintenance services to be offered from the airport. In 2016 the Sri Lankan government called for Expressions of Interest to run commercial activities of the Airport as the airport is not generating enough revenue to pay back the loans. It has been called the "The world's emptiest International Airport" due to its low number of flights despite the large size of the airport.
A second international airport for Sri Lanka was considered for various reasons. Congestion was increasing at Bandaranaike International Airport, and an alternate airport was desired. In addition, the Rajapaksa government wanted to revitalise the tourism industry following the civil war. An airport in Hambantota District would be located close to several tourist attractions, including Arugam Bay, Nuwara Eliya and Yala National Park. Hambantota was also the home town of the president at time, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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