Govt. to develop MRIA as cargo and training hub

By Kelum Bandara

The government will develop the Mattala airport as a cargo hub and a training facility for aeronautical engineering in partnership with the private sector, a Minister said yesterday.   
Industrial Export, Investment Promotion and Civil Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga told Daily Mirror yesterday that the Mattala airport would be linked with the Hambantota port for cargo handling. Besides, he said it would be developed as a training facility for aeronautical engineering.  
He said private sector partnership would be used for the management of the airport.  

“The government alone cannot develop it. We need the private sector partnership to manage it. We have not decided whether it will be a foreign partnership or local,” he said.   
The previous government planned to develop the airport with India.