Jaffna Airport is the second busiest airport in Sri Lanka. SLAF Palaly is a Sri Lankan Air Force base located at the airport, near the city of Jaffna

Jaffna

Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...

 in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. The base was built by the RAF, as RAF Kankesanturai during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 when B-24 Liberator

B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...

s of No. 222 Group RAF

No. 222 Group RAF

No. 222 Group was a group of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Formed on 1 September 1941, based at Ceylon, however squadrons were based around the Indian Ocean. The group undertook long-range bombing and mine-laying operations that took them as far afield as Sumatra and Singapore...

 were based there.

History

In the past, the airport was used as an international airport. Air Ceylon

Air Ceylon

Air Ceylon was the flag carrier airline of Sri Lanka from 1947 until 1978, when it was replaced by Air Lanka.- History :...

 operated Indian flights from the airport in 1970s. Now the government has planned to operate international flights to Tamil Nadu in the 2011.

Present

Presently, the airport is served by three domestic airlines Aero Lanka

Aero Lanka

Lankan Cargo is an airline based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was established in 2002 and operates domestic services between Jaffna and Colombo...

, Deccan Airways

Deccan Lanka

Deccan Aviation Lanka is a small charter airline based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They are the only company authorised to operate both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft in the country.-History:...

 and Expo Aviation

Expo Aviation

Expo Air is an airline based in Colombo, Sri Lanka that operates domestic passenger services and international cargo services to the Middle East and the India...

, connecting it with Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

 and several other domestic destinations.

Airlines & Destinations

Incidents & Accidents

• 29 September 1998 - Lionair Flight 602, operated by an Antonov An-24RV, fell into the sea off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka under mysterious circumstances. The aircraft departed Jaffna-Palaly Air Force Base on a flight to Colombo and disappeared from radar screens just after the pilot had reported depressurization. Initial reports indicated that the plane had been shot down by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels. All 7 crew and 48 passengers were killed.

See also

• Palali
  Palali
  Palali is a small town in the North Sri Lankan city of Jaffna. It has an important airport. Both military and small civilian aircraft land there...
  
  
• Palaly Air Force Base
• Jaffna Airport