SLAF Katunayake was the name of a Sri Lankkan Air Force base which is now Bandaranaike International Airport (also known as Katunayake International Airport, Negombo International Airport and Colombo International Airport). It is one of the two international airports serving the city of Colombo, the other is Ratmalana Airport. Bandaranaike International Airport is located in Katunayake, 22 miles (35 km) north of Colombo. It is administered by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. It is the hub of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, and Mihin Lanka, the budget airline of Sri Lanka.
History[]
The airport is the main hub for SriLankan Airlines
The main runway for the airport
The airport began as a Royal Air Force airfield in 1944 during the Second World War, RAF Station Negombo
In 1957 it closed as the British left the island, and Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike removed all the British Military airfields from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the airfield was handed over to the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) and renamed Katunayake. Part of it still remains an military airfield.
References[]
External links[]
- Airport Authority homepage
- Sri Lanka Airports Flight Information and Aviation Forum
- Airport Technical data
- Tourist Information Kiosks at Airport
- Sri Lanka Air Force Base Katunayake
The original article can be found at SLAF Katunayake and the edit history here.