Photo: VCG

COLOMBO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, on Thursday opened the country's third international airport in Jaffna in the north, in a bid to boost tourism and development in the former war-torn province.

A statement from the President's office said the Jaffna International Airport was constructed at an approximate cost of 12 million U.S. dollars and it was funded by the governments of Sri Lanka and India.

Following the official opening, a Bombardier ATR 72-600 aircraft of India's Alliance Air, landed on the newly constructed 950 meters runway making it the first foreign flight to land in the north.

Following more investments into the airport in the future, the airport is expected to be able to accomodate larger flights such as the Airbus A320 size aircraft.

Sri Lanka's main international airport is located in Bandaranaike in the outskirts of capital Colombo while its second international airport is located in Mattala in the southern coast.

Sri Lanka is aiming to attract 2 million tourists at the end of this year.