Sri Lanka airport agency to call proposals for BOT hotel: report

June 03, 2012 (LBO) - Sri Lanka is to call proposals for a luxury hotel near the island's Bandaranaike International Airport, north of the capital Colombo, to be constructed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis, a media report said.









The airport agency is scrambling to expand capacity at Katunayake after aircraft and passenger movements zoomed following the end of a 30-year war.



The Sunday Times newspaper said the Airport and Aviations Services Limited, a state agency that owns and operates the airport would give land and charge a land rental and a concession free on the hotel's revenue.

The newspaper said China Harbour Corporation, a contractor that is already involved in many Chinese funded projects is the front runner, followed by Quant International Ltd, a British firm and Fico (Pvt) Ltd, which is Sri Lanka based.

The Sunday Times, citing an unnamed aviation ministry source said the cabinet of ministers had approved the BOT plan after an earlier attempt to build a luxury hotel by AASL was scrapped for lack of funds.