Katunayake ( si, කටුනායක, ta, கட்டுநாயகம்), is a suburb of

Negombo Negombo (, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in Western Province, from Colombo via Colombo - Katunayake Expressway. Negombo is one of the major commercial hubs in the country an ...

city in

Western Province, Sri Lanka The Western Province ( si, බස්නාහිර පළාත ''Basnāhira Paḷāta''; ta, மேல் மாகாணம் ''Mael Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the c ...

. It is the site of

Bandaranaike International Airport Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) ( si, බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, translit=Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; ta, பண்டாரநாயக்க � ...

or Colombo Airport, the primary international air gateway to Sri Lanka. With the change of government in 1977 and the introduction of the open economy policy a large area was allocated to create a free trade zone (currently known as the Export Promotion Zone).

Government and infrastructure

Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) (Sinhala language, Sinhala: සිවිල් ගුවන්සේවා අධිකාරිය ''Sivil Guwanseva Adhikariya'') oversees the government approval and regulation of civil aviation m ...

has its head office in Katunayake. SriLankan Airlines is headquartered on the grounds of the airport in Katunayake.SriLankan Airlines - Contact Us / SriLankan Airlines Offices
." SriLankan Airlines. Retrieved on 29 September 2009.

Economy

In 1977 the country's

United National Party The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...

government introduced an open-economy policy, which led to the creation in 1978 of the country's first

Free-trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cus ...

(FTZ), currently known as an Export Processing Zone, in Katunayake. Located approximately northeast of Colombo, adjacent to the

, the Katunayake KTZ covers and is the largest of the country's eight FTZs. It is governed by the Sri Lankan Board of Investment. In order to attract foreign investment the government provides a number of incentives, including

duty-free A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...

import and exports, preferential tax, double taxation relief and up to 100% foreign ownership. The Katunayake FTZ houses over one hundred multinational industries, predominantly in the garment and clothing industry. From its inception the FTZ the workforce was predominantly young female migrants from rural villages, mainly from economically and socially marginalised groups. On 30 May 2011 the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

attacked workers at the Katunayake FTZ, protesting against a proposed new pension plan, resulting in the death of one of the protesters and over 200 injuries. The police actions led to the

Inspector General of Police An Inspector General of Police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most se ...

Mahinda Balasuriya Dr. Mahinda Balasuriya (18 June 1953 – 29 April 2021) was the 32nd Inspector General of the Sri Lanka Police (IGP) (2009–2011). Balasuriya was educated at Ananda College, Colombo, before obtaining a BSc. in Chemistry and a M.Phil at ...

, resigning his position.

Transport

Katunayake is the site of the primary airport in the country,

. It is served by Sri Lanka Railways'

Puttalam Line The Puttalam line (originally called the North-Western Line) is a broad gauge railway line in the rail network of Sri Lanka. The railway line begins at Ragama junction and runs through the major towns along the north-west coast of the count ...

, with stations at Katunayake, Katunayake South, and the airport.

is the northern end of the

Colombo-Katunayake Expressway Colombo - Katunayake Expressway is Sri Lanka's second E Class highway. The highway links the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake and Negombo. Construction on the highway began in October 2009, and it w ...

which connects the city of

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

and A1 highway at

Peliyagoda Peliyagoda is a town in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, lying mostly on the north shore of the Kelani River. As of 2020 it had an estimated population of 28, 784. The Airport Expressway's entry point and the Toll Plaza starts from the Peli ...

. Katunayake is currently served by the A3 highway from

References

External links

Sri Lanka Air Force Base
Populated places in Western Province, Sri Lanka {{WesternLK-geo-stub