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AASL Launches Ground Handling Service Training Wing at MRIA for International Flight Operations

June 02, 2023

On 2nd May 2023, Airport and Aviation services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL) marked another historical milestone by launching its own Ground Handling Services Training Wing at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) with the aim of providing ground handling services for international flight operations.  

Ground handling is a critical activity at an airport and acts as an interface between the airport and the airlines. Ground handling plays an important role which manages the efficiency and ease of flow at the airport. AASL ground handling service at MRIA was launched by providing its ground handling services to domestic airlines with incoming passengers. The ground handling staff successfully handled the ground operations according to international standards meeting all regulatory requirements and provided all the services as required. This new ground handling team comprises employees who have relevant ground handling experience and the team has been given the necessary skill training and other mandatory training to achieve the highest level of performance while handling aircraft on the ground. AASL has taken initiatives to recruit the relevant human capital requirements and further training for the dedicated ground handling team commenced at Mattala with the long term objective of establishing fully fledged ground handling services wing at AASL. By launching this, AASL will be able to contribute to increase the aeronautical revenue component of AASL and this is a timely move in this challenging and changing business environment.

Currently, AASL provides ground handling services at Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana (CIAR) and Jaffna International Airport (JIA) for the domestic and international airlines.  With this move, AASL will be able to provide ground handling services at Mattala in the future and the service will be extended to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for international operations too.

The new training wing was launched with the participation of Major Gen. (Rtd.) G A Chandrasiri, Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Private Limited and other senior officers of AASL and other key institutions.