Sri Lanka’s second international airport opened -Monday March 18,2013

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday March 18,2013 inaugurated Sri Lanka’s second international airport in his home district of Hambantota, built with Chinese assistance

President Rajapaksa boarded a flight of the national carrier Srilankan Airlines from the Bandaranaike International airport here, and landed at Mattala airport located in the remote part of Hambantota and now named the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA)

The Presidential flight was followed by the landing of the first commercial flight, the national carrier’s UL 226 from Dubai