Mattala International Airport (HRI)

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Hambantota in southeast Sri Lanka. Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport is Sri Lanka's second international airport, after Bandaranaike International Airport. It serves as the secondary hubs for Sri Lankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka. It is named after the Rajapaksa family. It is the newest and most developing airport in Sri Lanka. It is also the first greenfield airport in the country.

The new international airport is expected to expand the local aviation industry whilst being a catalyst for the country's economic development enabling international trade, tourism, vocational training and employment. It is being implemented as an eco-friendly project. The airport is estimated to cost US$210 million and, by the end of construction, will cover 2,000 hectares. It is being built to be compatible with the latest Airbus A380 aircraft and has been designed according to recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

According to Sri Lankan government officials, future domestic airline Air Hybrid, and international airlines Emirates, Enter Air, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and TUIfly have shown interests in flying to Mattala HRI in the near future. Air Arabia, the first international airline to fly to MHRIA, is considering returning after they stopped their daily service a while back also according to Sri Lankan government officials.[citation needed] However, none of these airlines have confirmed these statements by government officials.