Plans afoot to build Sri Lanka Free zone near its international airport

The positive reputation of Dubai Airport Freezone as a successful free zone operator in the region has reached far and wide with other countries seeking to learn from Dubai’s experience.
A high level Sri Lankan delegation from the Ministry of  Ports and Aviation visited Dubai Airport Freezone to familiarize themselves with the advanced services and facilities the freezone provides to its customers. They plan to apply what they learn in the planned economic zone at Sri Lanka's Hambantota international airport which is expected to be completed in the near future.
 Mr. GS Withanage, Additional Secretary-Aviation, Ministry of Ports & Aviation said that Sri Lanka is planning to set up a free economic zone similar in concept to Dubai Airport Freezone in order to attract more foreign investments in sectors that the Asian markets need.
"We have selected Dubai Airport Freezone to be our model as we know the quality of services and facilities provided by the freezone has attracted more than 1450 companies today.
Mr. Withanage said, “We wanted to benefit from the experience of Dubai Airport Freezone and its ability to overcome the obstacles and reach this high level of services that meet the customers' requirements.”
The Sri Lankan delegation was welcomed by Mr. Nasser Al Madani, Assistant Director General of Dubai Airport Freezone and a number of executives. Al Madani said that Dubai Airport Freezone is honoured to share their knowledge and experiences to other countries planning to build major development projects that will benefit the international economy as a whole.
In early February, a delegation from Tajikistan visited Dubai Airport Freezone to seek advice from Freezone officials and signed an MOU.
Al Madani added that, Dubai Airport Freezone is one of the fastest growing zones in the world according to statistics of "FDI" magazine. It has become a good model for many companies and countries seeking to set up free economic Freezone in their areas.
He also referred to the importance of cooperation between international free zones in order to take advantage of unique experiences of other countries to increase the level of global mutual investments.
The visit was aimed at sharing of experiences and to enhance ties between the two countries