Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport opened in March 2013 as a leisure gateway,serves southeast Sri Lanka. However, Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport continues to handle the bulk of the country’s international flights. SriLankan Airlines is planning to shift some of Colombo’s connecting leisure traffic to Mattala to improve the passenger experience and reduce congestion at the old airport. Depending on take-up, Mattala could be further expanded from its current capacity of 1 million passengers. Sri Lankan Airlines operates 15 flights a week between Colombo and Mattala, which typically proceed to other destinations.

Mattala is currently served by SriLankan Airlines, its low-cost subsidiary Mihin Lanka, Fly Dubai and Air Arabia.

SriLankan also anticipates to establish a training academy at Mattala by the middle of next year.