| Ratmalana International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: RML – ICAO: VCCC
Ratmalana
Airport Ratmalana
Airport (Sri Lanka) |
|||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public/commercial/military | ||
| Operator | Sri Lanka Air Force | ||
| Location | Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 16 ft / 5 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 4/22 | 6,013 | 1,833 | Asphalt |
Ratmalana Airport (IATA: RML, ICAO: VCCC), formally known as Colombo Airport, is a major domestic airport and military base in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was once Colombo's international airport, until the current Bandaranaike International Airport opened in the 1960s. It is now used solely for domestic flights and for military purposes.[1]
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In 1934 the State Council of Ceylon (as it then was) made a decision to construct an aerodrome within reach of the capital city of Colombo and decided on Ratmalana as the best site.[1] On 27 November 1935 a de Havilland Puss Moth flown by Tyndalle Bisco, Chief flying instructor of the Madras Flying Club, was the first aircraft to land at the new airport.
During the Second World War it was used as a Royal Air Force base, with No 30 Squadron flying Hawker Hurricanes from there against Japanese Navy aircraft. QEA flew civilianised Consolidated B-24 Liberator and Avro Lancastrian aeroplanes there from Perth, Western Australia, on what was at the time the world's longest non-stop air route. The flight continued after the war with an intermediate re-fueling stop at the Cocos Islands.
Ratmalana airport at one time had the country's main air terminal, with the Douglas DC-3 Dakota and Lockheed Constellation aeroplanes of Air Ceylon flying out of it. In 1947, KLM flew Douglas DC-4 Skymasters through the airport on the route from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). In the 1950s, BOAC flew Canadair Argonauts (DC4 with Rolls Royce Merlin engines) from Ratmalana to London. On 11 August 1952, 3 months after the inaugural service of a passenger jet aircraft, BOAC began its Comet service between Colombo and London. Later (March 1962 - March 1971) Air Ceylon operated a Comet service on this route to London.
The domestic airport is undergoing runway renovations and will feature a new first-class terminal and be ready for international flights from private jets and small aircraft by the end of October 2011.
The Government is planning to develop the Ratmalana airport into an international city airport, which would provide services to private jets and small aircraft.[1] In addition facilities at the Ampara, Jaffna, and Koggala airports will be also upgraded. repair to the runway reconfiguration to the aerodrome for the use of corporate jet traffic would be done as a short-term development project of the Ratmalana airport.Improvements to the existing terminal building, repair to the runway, taxiway and apron, reconfiguration to the aerodrome for the use of corporate jet traffic would be done as a short-term development project of the Ratmalana airport.
Under the medium-term of the Ratmalana airport development project:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aero Lanka | Jaffna,Trincomalee |
| Expo Aviation | Dubai |
| Deccan Lanka | Galle, Hambantota,Kandy |
| Sri Lankan Airlines by Air Taxi | Koggala, Bentota |
Since the 1980s the airfield has been operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force as the SLAF Ratmalana with several operational squadrons based there.
On 15 November 1961, Vickers Viscount VT-DIH of Indian Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair when the co-pilot retracted the undercarriage during landing.[2]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.