In 2014, the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), a state-owned entity, submitted a proposal to establish an aircraft maintenance facility in Sri Lanka. The Chinese proposal aimed to provide maintenance services for Chinese-made aircraft belonging to the Sri Lanka Air Force. Its primary purpose was to save foreign exchange and enable aircraft repairs to be carried out locally, rather than sending them overseas.
At the time, the government was in the process of identifying a suitable location in Sri Lanka for the project. China had shown interest in Trincomalee. When reports emerged that China intended to build an aircraft maintenance facility there, India expressed concern. A military spokesperson stated that, although a location had not yet been finalised, China had expressed willingness to assist with the project.
Once this information came to light, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe demanded an explanation in Parliament. Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris responded that a suitable location was being considered, with Trincomalee among the proposed sites. However, the proposal was shelved following the government’s defeat in the 2015 presidential election.
Recently, a delegation from the U.S.-based Boeing Company visited Sri Lanka and met with President Anura. They expressed interest in establishing an aircraft maintenance facility and a flight technician training centre at Mattala International Airport. Earlier, in March, the Minister of Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, had announced that the government was in discussions with foreign companies to set up an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at Mattala.
Bimal, known to be pro-China, was recently removed from his position as Minister of Aviation. The Boeing delegation arrived in Sri Lanka with their proposal shortly after his removal.
During the tenure of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government, approval had been granted to hand over management of Mattala Airport to a joint Russian-Indian company. However, the U.S. exerted strong pressure to revoke that approval. At the time, Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva stated that, although the U.S. had informed him that sanctions had been imposed on the Russian company designated to manage Mattala, it was merely a diplomatic formality. Following President Anura’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, the agreement to assign Mattala’s management to the Russian-Indian company was annulled.
It is unlikely that President Anura will oppose Boeing’s proposal. His government is expected to agree to hand over the Mattala facility to the American company as a balancing measure against awarding the Hambantota oil refinery project to China. U.S. interest in Mattala may also be driven by the desire to counter China’s growing influence through the Hambantota oil refinery project.
