Currency exchange counters have been set up within the customs area of the arrivals terminal at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, to meet the foreign exchange needs of incoming passengers.
With the redevelopment of the arrivals terminal under the airport’s development programme, the existing currency exchange counters needed to be relocated. However, as no agreement could be reached on the monthly fees for operating counters at the newly designated locations, Airports and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited terminated the existing contracts.
Bids were subsequently invited from institutions authorised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to operate foreign currency exchange counters at the new arrivals terminal locations for a period of three years, under a limited competitive bidding process.
After evaluating five bids, the High-Level Standing Procurement Committee submitted its recommendations. Based on these, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal by the Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation to award contracts for the operation of five currency exchange counters for three years.
The contracts were awarded as follows:
- Counter No. 04: Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC – Rs. 972.77 million, plus applicable taxes
- Counter No. 05: Bank of Ceylon – Rs. 877.14 million, plus applicable taxes
- Counter No. 06: Thomas Cook Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd – Rs. 720.79 million, plus applicable taxes
- Counter No. 07: Sampath Bank PLC – Rs. 646.64 million, plus applicable taxes
- Counter No. 08: People’s Bank – Rs. 631.61 million, plus applicable taxes
The initiative is expected to improve convenience for arriving passengers while ensuring a transparent and competitive process for operating foreign exchange services at Sri Lanka’s main international gateway.
