Evaluation of Post Impacts of Second International Airport in Sri Lanka with reference to the Environmental Impact Assessment Process

International airports are known to be critical infrastructure for any country to boost its economy. This is no different to developing countries where economic goals influenced by employment generation and investment promotion are largely expected through international airport projects. Sri Lanka is a developing country in South Asia with a potential of economic development due to its strategic location in Indian Ocean. MattalaRajapakse International Airport (MRIA) has been constructed in Southern Province of Sri Lanka in 2012 as the second international airport of the country but failed to achieve its objectives and created a financial loss to the government. Conflicts with wildlife are one of the main causes of its operation and this study evaluates the possible limitations in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process which could be resulted in the outcome. This study evaluates the completed EIA study and identified the possible limitations in relation to wildlife impacts during the EIA reporting. The recommendations for the improvement of EIA process in order to avoid such financial losses are given in the conclusion.