Sigiriya Airport
Sigiriya Airport (IATA: GIU, ICAO: VCCS) is an air force base and domestic airport located in central Sri Lanka.[1] Located near the city of Dambulla, the airport is also known as SLAF Sigiriya.[2]
Sigiriya Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Sri Lanka | ||||||||||
| Operator | Sri Lanka Air Force | ||||||||||
| Serves | Dambulla | ||||||||||
| Location | Sigiriya, Central Province, Sri Lanka | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1942, 1985 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 1946 | ||||||||||
| In use | 1942 - 1946 1985 - Present | ||||||||||
| Commander | C. P. Gunatileke | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 192 m / 630 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 07°57′21.20″N 80°43′41.20″E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  GIU | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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History
Sigiriya Airport was first opened in 1942 as an airfield established by the Royal Air Force during World War II. A number of RAF squadrons (8 (1945),[3] 160 (1943-44),[4] 200 (1944-45),[5] 203 (1944-45),[6] 354 (1944)[7]) and other units were stationed at the airfield during and immediately after the war.[8] With the end of the war, and subsequently no use for the airfield it was abandoned by the RAF in 1946.[9]
On 19 April 1985, the airfield was opened again for the Sri Lanka Air Force by Lalith Athulathmudali, then Minister of National Security and Deputy Minister of Defence, on the invitation of Air Marshal Donald Perera, Commander of the Air Force.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Senok | Charter: Colombo–Ratmalana |
| Cinnamon Air | Colombo–Bandaranaike, Trincomalee |
| FitsAir | Charter: Colombo–Ratmalana |
| Helitours | Charter: Colombo–Ratmalana, Hambantota–Mattala |
References
Citations
- "VCCS - Sigiriya" (PDF). Aeronautical Information Services of Sri Lanka, Airport & Aviation Services. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- "VCCS - Airport". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- Jefford 1988, p. 26.
- Jefford 1988, p. 64.
- Jefford 1988, p. 67.
- Jefford 1988, p. 68.
- Jefford 1988, p. 88.
- "RAF Sigiriya". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- "Sri Lanka Air Force Sigiriya". Sri Lanka Air Force. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
Bibliography
- Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.