Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said that a new domestic airport to land light aircraft’s will be constructed in Haputale, in the the island’s central hill country.

“It will be for the purpose of landing light aircraft under the programme of promoting the internal airport network,” the Ministry statement said.

The new airport will be built at a cost of 700 million rupees at Sewood Estate, Kotalagala with a runway that is 1.2 kilometres long and 75 metres wide.

The Civil Aviation Services Ministry, the Civil Aviation Service Authority, the Urban Development Authority and the Road Development Authority will handle the construction activities.

“The Airport is being built targeting tourists who will be visiting locations such as Ella, Bandarawala, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Diyatalawa,”

It will facilitate tourists who intended to view the Thangamale Birds National Park, and Dunhinda and Ravana Waterfalls and also the Worlds End, it added.