Sri Lanka It's Happening

May 31, 2007

Sri Lanka is the only country in the world where the airport closes for business at night. It's shutdown during 21:00 to 05:00. That is to say no flights take off or land during this period but obviously the lobbies, terminals and counters have to remain open a few hours after the closing time and a few hours before the closing time to allow arriving passengers to clear immigration and leave and for departing passengers to leave.

This morning I had to visit the airport to drop off my sister and brother in law. We left home at 3:00 in the morning. Usually there isn't much traffic at that time. Today there was almost none. The usual checkpoints at the entrance to the airport are still there, but the queues are missing.
At the departures lounge there were about two dozen people, including drivers, guards and friends and family who had come to say good bye. I spotted only one person who appeared to be a foreigner.

What about the departuers lounge? There were exactly 2 persons (not counting a couple of dozing sentries). I suspect they were just walking across from the car park to the departures lounge.