Sri Lanka’s Mattala Has Become ‘World’s Emptiest Airport’. Can Indian Investment Revive It?

Colombo’s latest investment push has attracted attention in New Delhi because of the airport’s location near the Chinese-operated Hambantota Port Sri Lanka has reopened the bidding process for the operation and development of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport near Hambantota, reviving global attention around a facility once branded the “world’s emptiest airport”. The move comes amid renewed Indian interest in strategic infrastructure projects in the island nation, particularly in regions where Chinese-backed investments have long dominated the landscape. Colombo’s latest investment push has attracted attention in New Delhi because of the airport’s location near the Chinese-operated Hambantota Port — a…