Sri Lanka's airports have demonstrated significant potential for growth in tourist arrivals, with a total of 846,173 passengers accommodated in 2024, of which 207,182 were tourists, as reported by the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL).
Passenger influx was observed across the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Jaffna International Airport (JIA), and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), indicating widespread travel activity.
In January 2022, the country welcomed 82,327 tourists, a figure that escalated to 102,545 in the same period of 2023, marking a notable 24.5% increase. Notably, January 2024 witnessed a remarkable surge, with 208,253 tourists arriving in the country, reflecting an impressive 103% growth compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
Furthermore, MRIA facilitated 11,801 international tourist arrivals through 102 flight operations, contributing to a total of 23,739 passenger movements recorded at MRIA in 2024. Meanwhile, JIA recorded 3,413 international passenger movements and 271 domestic passenger movements in January 2024.
The BIA, being the primary gateway, played a pivotal role in accommodating international passengers, registering 846,173 international passenger movements in January 2024, averaging 27,295 passengers daily.
