Koggala Airport (KCT)
Experience the convenience of Koggala Airport, a key gateway in southern Sri Lanka. Located near beautiful beaches and cultural sites, this airport offers easy access for travelers seeking to explore the region’s natural beauty and historical attractions.
科格勒机场(KCT)
科戈拉机场位于斯里兰卡,最初是皇家空军(RAF)站点,RAF科戈拉。现在是SLAF科戈拉,用于国内航班和军事用途。
历史
在第二次世界大战之前,科戈拉湖用于水上飞机。1942年,日本占领马来半岛后,RAF需要一个新的水上飞机基地。1942年3月,RAF科戈拉由40人、一架PBY Catalina水上飞机和一个没有通向海洋的lagoon组成。一个月内,超过100名人员(大多来自新加坡)到达,开始建设水上跑道和大型水上飞机基地所需的设施(如滑道、遮罩等),到1942年底,基地内有超过800人。它成为东南亚最大的水上飞机基地。RAF最初使用Consolidated PBY Catalina和Short Sunderland水上飞机,分别由第205空军大队和第413空军大队操作,随后由第202空军大队、第204空军大队和第230空军大队继续操作。1942年4月4日,第413空军大队的Catalina水上飞机在科戈拉发现了日本海军司令长官内村忠雄的舰队,位于锡兰海岸。1944年6月,科戈拉的两架Sunderland水上飞机救援了一组受伤的Chindits(英军特种部队)。
在英国失去新加坡后,QEA/帝国航空从伦敦飞往悉尼的航班失去了新加坡作为加油点(位于加尔各答和珀斯之间)。为了支持英澳战争努力,航班必须保持,因此建立了通过科戈拉的替代路线。1943年,第205空军大队恢复了航线,直接从科戈拉湖飞往珀斯的Swan河,这是当时世界上最长的非停机飞行航程。使用Consolidated PBY Catalina水上飞机,每次飞行搭载三名乘客和60公斤(130磅)邮件。飞行时长28小时,乘客见证了两次日出,航班被称为“双日出航班”。第一次航班于1943年3月30日从珀斯到达;最后一班航班在1945年7月18日结束。该航班服务后来由QEA(现在是Qantas)和帝国航空接管,Catalina水上飞机被民用的Consolidated B-24 Liberator和Avro Lancastrian飞机替代。
战争结束后,机场开始发展成为陆地基地。铺设了沥青跑道,Air Ceylon通过道格拉斯DC-3 Dakota飞机提供从科戈拉的国内航班。1964年,Dakota飞机被Avro 748和Nord Aviation 262飞机替代。这些航班在1978年Air Ceylon关闭后终止。
科戈拉继续作为斯里兰卡空军基地使用。现有的跑道能够处理像Dash-8和ATR-72这样的国内航班。
斯里兰卡政府计划将科戈拉机场升级为国际标准,作为班达拉奈克国际机场的替代机场。由美国机构完成的可行性研究已经结束。
About Galle District
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in south and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and south Asian traditions. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.
Galle is a sizeable town, by Sri Lankan standards, and has a population of 91,000, the majority of whom are of Sinhalese ethnicity. There is also a large Sri Lankan Moor minority, particularly in the fort area, which descend from Arab merchants that settled in the ancient port of Galle.
About Southern Province
The Southern Province of Sri Lanka is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Galle. Subsistence farming and fishing is the main source of income for the vast majority of the people of this region.
Important landmarks of the Southern Province include the wildlife sanctuaries of the Yala and Udawalawe National Parks, the holy city of Kataragama, and the ancient cities of Tissamaharama, Kirinda and Galle. (Although Galle is an ancient city, almost nothing survives from before the Portuguese invasion.) During the Portuguese period there were two famous Sinhalese poets called Andare who was from Dickwella and Gajaman Nona who was from Denipitiya in Matara District, composing poems on common man.