The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) of Parliament, chaired by the Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera, conducted a field investigation at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on Wednesday (April 09).
The COPE recently (2025.04.02) reviewed the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project in connection with the Auditor General’s Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and the current performance of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL), and accordingly conducted this field investigation, the Department of Communication of Parliament said in a statement.
It was expected that the number of aircraft stands at Bandaranaike International Airport would be increased through the construction of a Remote Apron and Taxiways as part of the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project.
However, it was observed that both the AASL and the Japanese joint venture company hired for design and consultancy services had undertaken these activities without proper technical or operational analysis. As a result, achieving the project’s objectives proved challenging, according to the statement.
Despite several weaknesses and practical challenges identified at the planning stage, the Committee noted that steps were taken to complete the project. Accordingly, the solutions already proposed by AASL to achieve the desired objectives of the project were also observed.
The COPE members held extensive discussions with local representatives from the Japanese joint venture and senior officials from relevant institutions. During these discussions, the Committee expressed displeasure over the financial losses incurred by the government due to these oversight issues and poor planning. The Committee recommended that, to prevent further misuse of public funds in future development activities, attention must be given to the issues arising during planning stages, it added.
The Committee decided to reconvene with the officials from AASL in the near future to continue discussions on the matter.
