Bandaranaike Airport attack
The Bandaranaike International Airport attack was a suicide raid Black Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 24 July 2001 on the Sri Lanka Air Force base SLAF Katunayake and the adjoining Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka.
The attack was one of the boldest the LTTE mounted during its war with the Sri Lankan government, and had a profound impact on the country's military, economy, and airline industry.
The Government of Sri Lanka responded with an unprecedented import of military hardware to bolster the firepower of the divisions in Jaffna and launch counter offensives to recapture lost ground.
As part of the crash program of procurement, the air force received several IAI Kfirs to its existing inventory and introduced Mig-27s for dedicated ground attack, along with K-8 Karakorums for advance pilot training.
The Sri Lankan and foreign intelligence agencies have since confirmed that the LTTE planned an attack on SLAF Katunayake in direct retaliation for the air raids.
[1][2] Around 9:00 pm on 23 July 2001, a group of 14 LTTE Black Tigers arrived at the Major Raj Fernando playground in Kurana, close to the western perimeter of SLAF Katunayake on a Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa.
It was later suspected that the Black Tiger had reached the town of Negombo via the sea and had been met by LTTE intelligence wing carders who had arrange for logistics to being them to Kurana.
This group was observed by local residents who reported it to a perimeter patrol of two SLAF Regiment airmen who came to the playground and found the items left behind by the Black Tigers, yet failed to raise the alarm.
In the high security zones covering the aircraft hangars of the two flying squadrons were at the southern end overlooking the runway shared by the international airport.
10 Squadron hangar sighted a group and reported it to the Operations Room asking if there were any ambush parties detailed and received confirmation.
They then attempted to force their way into the hangars that housed the rest of the aircraft of the squadrons, which was prevented by SLAF Regiment personal on guard, and an intense fire fight broke out.
[2] Then the remaining six Black Tigers continued to fire machine guns at the hangars, and moved into the international airport, which had only six airmen guarding the entry point from the runway.
As they crossed the runway, they fired at a parked Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A330, which was fueled for a flight to Rome departing in the morning.
Personnel attempted to tow another Sri Lankan Airlines A330 to safety, but a Black Tiger was able to place an explosive charge on the aircraft, destroying it.
[1] By midday the all clear signal reached the Joint Operations Headquarters and General Ratwatte and senior officers flew into the airbase and review the damage inflected in the attack.
2001 reported GDP growth was negative 1.4% the first contraction since independence in 1948, leading President Chandrika Kumaratunga's party United People's Freedom Alliance lose the parliamentary elections in December 2001.
