By: Staff Writer Colombo (LNW): In an effort to alleviate the current severe congestion at Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), which is experiencing nearly 25,000 passenger arrivals and departures a day, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited has opted to swiftly construct a prefabricated terminal. This interim solution aims to mitigate the congestion, until the completion of the ongoing construction of the second terminal. According to a statement from the Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry, the prefabricated terminal initiative is projected to cost approximately Rs.15 billion and is anticipated to be completed within a span of six months. Following the completion of the second terminal’s construction at BIA, the prefabricated terminal will be repurposed for domestic flight operations.On August 23, 2023, Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva conducted an on-site inspection of the construction site to oversee the progress firsthand. Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited Chairman Major General (Rtd.) G.A. Chandrasiri and several other officials also participated in the occasion. De Silva said with the prefabricated terminal, Sir Lanka would be able to handle the surge in traffic to BIA, until the second terminal comes into operation. He also said the funds to be utilised for the construction of prefabricated terminal would be borne by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited. The construction of the prefabricated terminal building on a temporary basis will be done within six months, said Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. While the existing airlines flying to Colombo have added frequency, new airlines have added Colombo to their radar. With the winter season coming and Sri Lanka averaging over 125, 000 arrivals per month the airport needed to be expanded. “This is why we are building a temporary terminal building as the original building on the pipeline would take time to be opened pointed out.” A state-of-the-art passenger terminal building on par with global requirements was planned and is expected to be opened in late 2024. He said this while participating as the chief guest in a conference held at Katunayake Airport on Tuesday on how to contribute to the research process of this sector to take Sri Lanka’s aviation industry towards sustainable development through digitization. The Minister also disclosed that novel methods should be used for the practical training and knowledge development of new professionals entering the aviation sector in Sri Lanka. Many countries in the world are already using the research process to boost the aviation industry and to boost Sri Lanka’s aviation industry, universities, academics and industry experts should look at this segment.