SriLanka Airport limits flights to deter Tigers

Colombo: This Indian Ocean country's only international airport was closed to night flights Thursday, in line with new security measures against raids by rebel Tamil Tiger aircraft, an airport official said.
As the last commercial flight for the day left for neighboring India, the authorities closed the check-in counters and the only runway at Bandaranaike International Airport, some 22 miles north of Colombo, the capital, officials said. "Airplanes will not be able to come in or take off, but all other aspects will be fully functional," Sri Lanka's civil aviation chief Parakrama Dissanayake told AFP.
He said air traffic controllers would remain at their posts in case of emergencies, including emergency landings by planes needing to stop in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Dissanayake said many Sri Lankans due to board flights when the airport reopened early yesterday were already camping in the airport lobby.
The authorities feared that Tamil Tiger rebels, who are fighting for an independent Tamil homeland, could use the cover of civilian aircraft to enter the airport's air space and draw fire from ground troops.
Airlines feared getting caught in anti-aircraft fire directed against rebel aircraft, which since March have carried out nighttime bombing raids.
12/05/07 Mel Gunasekera/AFP/Washington Times, US

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Categories: Airports May 2007, Foreign May 2007, Safety May 2007