Bandaranaike Airport attack

Bandaranaike Airport attack
Part of the Sri Lankan Civil War
DateJuly 24, 2001
Location
Result Successful LTTE suicide commando raid
Belligerents
Sri Lanka Air Force LTTE Black Tigers
Commanders and leaders
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody
Air Commodore R.A. Ananda
Wing Commander Bhuvanaka Abeysuriya
Velupillai Prabhakaran
Pottu Amman
Colonel Charles
Strength
1 airforce garrison 14 suicide commandos
Casualties and losses
7 Soldiers killed, 12 soldiers wounded
Aircraft destroyed:
1 Mi-17 attack helicopter,
1 Mi-24 attack helicopter,
3 K-8 jet trainers,
2 Kfir fighter jets,
1 MiG-27 fighter jet,
2 Airbus A330s,
1 Airbus A320,
1 Airbus A340
Aircraft damaged:
5 K-8 jet trainers,
5 Kfir fighter jets,
1 MiG-27 fighter jet,
1 Airbus A340,
1 Airbus A320
1 other military aircraft
14 Black Tigers killed

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.