KATUNAYAKE: The Bandaranaike International Airport returned to 24 hour operations from yesterday. Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda said he expected the airlines to take the cue and return to flying the schedules which were in place before the night closure.

It is expected that all airlines flying in to Colombo will avail themselves of the resumed facility.

The tourist industry which had a fall-out due to the night landing restrictions can now be hopeful that their efforts at projecting Sri Lanka as an ideal holiday destination will begin to show results as the Bandaranaike International Airport once again becomes a hub of activity, the Minister said.

All tourism associations welcomed the move and extensive communication programmes are under way to let the world know of the lifting of restrictions.

According to Chandima Rasaputra, Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services proactive measurers are in place at the airport.

Tourism stakeholders welcomed the return of the 24 hour operation at the airport while security authorities confirmed that action has been taken to protect the airport, leading to the enhanced confidence levels of the tourism industry when returning to the pre-closure scenario.

“The timing is right and with the travel advisories softening, we can now look forward to larger numbers of visitor arrivals” said Sri Lanka Tourist Board’s Additional Director General, Marketing Dileepa Mudadeniya. Sri Lanka Tourism has many projects under way to boost the industry.