Bimal leads delegation to Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium, bilateral engagements in Singapore

TRANSPORT, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Minister and Leader of the House, Bimal Rathnayake undertook an official visit to Singapore from 13 to 15 July, to attend the Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium and a series of high-level engagements.

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This visit underscored Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening partnerships in the aviation, maritime, and logistics sectors while advancing the country’s position as a regional transport and trade hub.

Minister Rathnayake participated as a speaker at the Ministerial and Industry Roundtable on 14 July 2025, themed “Shaping Tomorrow’s Transport: People, Technology, and Policy”. He joined a panel that included Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister of Nigeria Festus Keyamo, Transport and Logistics Services Minister of Saudi Arabia Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Transport, Energy, Communications and Innovation Minister of Tuvalu Simon Kofe, IFATCA President and CEO Helena Sjöström Falk, RwandAir Ltd., CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo, and Singapore Maritime Officers' Union General Secretary Mary Liew.

During the Roundtable, Minister Rathnayake highlighted the need for closer collaboration between the aviation and maritime sectors to enhance resilience across global transport networks. He also stressed the importance of regional cooperation and joint crisis response mechanisms. He noted Sri Lanka’s unique position as a regional air-sea gateway and outlined national efforts to integrate transport, highways, ports, and aviation under one Ministry for the first time since independence, in order to harness synergies and drive strategic infrastructure development.