Three airlines are preparing to operate flights to Sri Lanka for travellers visiting during the European winter season, News 1st reported on Saturday.
Azur Air is scheduled to begin flights from Russia to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on November 2, the earliest of the three starts.
French Bee is due to start services from France to Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake in December, operating via the Maldives.
S7 Airlines is also scheduled to begin flights from Siberia, in Russia, to Katunayake in December, operating twice a week.
Context
The additions fall within the northern-hemisphere winter season, the period when Sri Lanka’s west and south coasts are in their main tourist window and European and Russian leisure traffic typically peaks.
Azur Air and S7 have both served the Sri Lankan market in previous seasons, and Azur Air’s return had been reported in Sri Lankan media earlier in October. Russian arrivals have been a significant component of off-season demand in recent years.
Not reported
The News 1st filing does not give frequencies for Azur Air or French Bee, the Russian cities Azur Air will fly from, the aircraft types to be used, seat capacity, or a precise December start date for either of the two later launches. It also does not identify the source of the schedule information.
Earlier reporting on the S7 route described it as operating with a refuelling stop rather than as a non-stop service; the News 1st filing describes the flights as direct. LankaNewz has not been able to reconcile the two accounts and states the frequency only, without asserting either routing.
