NewsThe Government has invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), offering, among other things, exemptions from exchange control regulations to any prospective investor. The Government has struggled to put the ailing airport to use, even implementing an open skies policy in April 2015. This gave international operators all nine “freedoms of the air”, including the liberty to use the airport as a base for commercial airline operations. MRIA is a 24-hour, full-service operational airport that can accommodate the world’s biggest cargo and passenger aircrafts. It is said to be in close proximity to major tourism hotspots with domestic air taxi connectivity between two international and 14 domestic airports.

Source: Sunday Times September 12, 2016 06:11 UTC