Govt. calls for EOIs to operate domestic flights

The Government yesterday called for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from local and international business enterprises to operate scheduled domestic flights to key tourism destinations in the country. The National Agency for Public-Private Partnership, the Finance and Mass Media Ministry and the Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry have published a request for EOIs from interested parties for the establishment of scheduled airline operations for domestic passenger air services based in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the prospective investor should partly have a Sri Lankan shareholding with experience in domestic aviation and should be in a position to mobilise at least two modern turboprop aircraft, having not less than 12 seats and satisfy all the civil aviation requirements to operate commercial flights. The prospective investor should be able to operate daily scheduled passenger flights using the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and Ratmalana Airport as bases to select local airports or a ‘hop-on-hop-off’ service involving multiple airports. The prospective investors must submit EOIs to the National Agency for Public-Private Partnership Chairman on or before 16 February, where the shortlisted parties will then be requested to respond to a detailed Request for Proposals (RFPs), which is currently being prepared.