Remote stands at B.I.A
 

Having just come back from a most enjoyable two weeks in Sri Lanka I've been left wondering why most aircraft using the airport seem to park at remote stands and not use the airbridges at the terminal, Both my flights used remote stands and it seems that most others do to. The only aeroplanes I saw using the terminal building were from Qatar and Oman Air. Emirates, Etihad, Turkish, Air India, even Sri Lankan were all using steps and buses.

Don't get me wrong, there's something delightfully old fashioned and civilised about descending steps and walking across the tarmac. There's more of a sense of having 'arrived' when doing so, much more so than using an impersonal Airbridge. I was just wondering why this was the case. I didn't notice any improvement works that would mean most of the terminal is out of action so is it just cost cutting by the airlines, even the premium ones and the flag carrier?

Just curious.....

If only we knew where B.I.A. was ...

;)

I ran it through Goggle Translate and it came out as CMB.

Bandaranaike International Airport = CMB

I suspect we had all worked that out.. :hmm:

Anyhow..back to the entirely reasonable question....

British Island Airways. I still have a couple of cabin bags they sold in the day. ;)

Just guessing, but maybe not enough space between the airbridges for more than a certain number of widebodies?

Having just looked on GE, I see that they only have one pier with a total of 8 airbridges. I suspect that with such limited airbridge capacity those who want to use them may well be charged a heavy premium.

Actually my first thought, with the OP having taken the trouble to refer to returning from holiday, was that BIA was a reference to his/her home airport (Birmingham International), not helped by the mention of the ME3, TK and AI. :O

My knowledge of former Ceylonese Prime Ministers is sadly lacking.

BIA is Bastia, Corsica.

Yes, sorry, I meant CMB, Badaranaike International Airport, formerly Katunayake, formerly RAF Negombo.

I was really only asking because on previous visits in 2008, 2010 and 2015 the pier and airbridges were used by Emirates as well as most of the other larger carriers. I was just wondering why this no longer seemed to be the case,

I have got the impression (maybe wrongly), from other little things that have changed with Emirates in more recent times, that they are trying to reduce costs.