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Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport

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Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) (Sinhala: මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ) (IATA: HRI, ICAO: VCRI) is an international airport serving southeast Sri Lanka. It is located in the town of Mattala, 18 km (11 mi) from Hambantota. It is the first greenfield airport and the third intern

ational airport in the country, after Ratmalana International Airport and Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. MRIA was opened in March 2013 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Hambantota was the home town of the president which is seen as the main reason for its construction at this location. Initially, several airlines flew to the airport, including SriLankan Airlines which established a hub. However, due to low demand, almost all of these airlines left Mattala by 2018. Due to the low number of flights, it has been proposed to offer long-term aircraft parking services as well as creating flying schools and maintenance services to be offered from the airport. In 2016, as the airport was not generating enough revenue to pay back the loans, the Sri Lankan government called for expressions of interest to run commercial activities. It was dubbed "The World's Emptiest International Airport...

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