The project of laying pipes to take aircraft fuel (Jet A -01) from Muthurajawela to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will be expedited in the coming months, Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Arjuna Ranatunga said.

Earlier it was planned to lay the fuel line parallel to Hamilton canal through Nugape, Bopitiya to Pamunugama and from there to lay the pipes parallel to Negombo-Colombo road up to Katunatyake.

The minister said that as laying pipes along this rout was difficult, the government looked at alternatives and a feasibility study was done to see the possibility of laying pipes parallel to the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway. 

The Road Development Authority (RDA) has agreed to lay the pipes parallel to Katunayake-Colombo Expressway, he said.

The project is being implemented by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation as it is the sole provider of aircraft fuel and it is the main source of foreign exchange for the corporation.

The main distribution tank of aircraft fuel is at the BIA Katunayaka and from Kolonnawa it is transported by train and sometimes by bowser, but transporting jet fuel from Kolonnawa would not be sufficient in the future as it is forecasted that the daily demand will increase from 1.6 million liters to 2 million liters by 2020 and to 3.5 million liters by 2030.