Colombo, Feb 28 (IANS) Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to allow private companies to supply Jet A-1 aviation fuel to airplanes as the state-owned petroleum distributor fails to meet the demand, government Spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, the Spokesperson added that Jet A-1 aviation fuel is currently being supplied to aircraft by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Xinhua news agency reported.
However, in the past year the operations at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, where the country’s Jet A-1 fuel is produced, has been disrupted due to foreign exchange shortages, Gunawardena said.
Importing Jet A-1 fuel is also a challenge for the CPC because of the foreign currency shortage, the official added.
The Spokesperson said that in recent months the number of aircraft arriving in Sri Lanka has risen due to increasing tourist arrivals.
Gunawardena added that Sri Lanka needs to ensure that there is a continuous supply of Jet A-1 fuel for cargo and passenger airplanes so as to prevent any inconvenience to tourists.
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva said earlier that in 2022 Sri Lanka was unable to provide adequate jet fuel for aircraft, which resulted in flight cancellations.
–IANS
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