[2] In 2016, as the airport was not generating enough revenue to pay back the loans, the Sri Lankan government called for Expressions of Interest to run commercial activities.

[3][4] In 2020, a newly elected Sri Lankan Government scrapped negotiations with India to run the airport as a joint venture.

[8][9] In addition, the Rajapaksa government wanted to revitalise the tourism industry following the Sri Lankan Civil War.

An airport in Hambantota District would be located close to several tourist attractions, including Arugam Bay, Nuwara Eliya and Yala National Park.

[12] The Strategic Enterprises Management Agency (SEMA) of the government was against creating an international airport in Mattala, and instead recommended the expansion of BIA facilities and improving the Airfield in Puttalam as an emergency landing strip due to lower transport costs, it being already situated near an air corridor, and less environmental damage.

On 16 October 2012, a Hawker Beechcraft B200 King Air of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority became the first aircraft to land at the new airport.

[15] On 24 January 2013, Sri Lanka Minister of Civil Aviation Piyankara Jayaratne said in parliament that the airport would be declared open on 18 March 2013.

This was the second plane to land, shortly followed by an Airbus A320, which carried 125 orphan children from Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.

It was part of Rajapaksa's plan to transform Hambantota District into a commercial hub; other projects included a cricket stadium and an international port.

[22] Although MRIA is located close to many tourist attractions such as Yala National Park, it lacks adequate transport links, accommodations, facilities, etc.

[12] In 2004, a report produced by the International Air Transport Association claimed that money would be better invested in a second runway at the BIA than a new airport.

Aviation experts have claimed that the runway orientation of the airport makes the aircraft face dangerous crosswinds.

Only one taxiway has been built and that makes it very hard time for taking off and landings as the pilots have to turn their airplanes for 180 degrees, plus the air traffic handling capacity has become very poor.

[27] The authors of Banking on Beijing, a 2022 book published by the University of Cambridge,[28] linked the China-funded construction in the president's home province with a wider pattern of political corruption allegedly carried out by China in developing countries.

[30] The unused air cargo terminals were leased by the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) to store the rice bumper harvest from the region which allowed the Airport to make revenues larger than flight-related activities.

Air Arabia ended its flights from Sharjah only six weeks after beginning service, citing low demand.

In triangle routings through Colombo, the airline flew to Bangkok, Beijing, Chennai, Jeddah, Malé, Riyadh, Shanghai, and Tiruchirappalli from Mattala.

[41] In 2018 Flydubai also ceased its operations in the airport citing it to be "uneconomical"[42] Now Antonov Airlines is using MRIA as a transit base to refuel and provide rest for its crew members.