Etihad confirms flights to Colombo
19 October 2009
Etihad Airways has confirmed that it will resume flights to Colombo, Sri Lanka in January next year following the recent end to the civil conflict in the country.
The airline will operate four weekly services to the island nation from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using an Airbus A320.
Sri Lanka's government has set a target of attracting 2.5 million visitors annually by the year 2016.
It was recently revealed that inbound tourism increased by 30 per cent in July and August this year compared to the same period in 2008.
James Hogan, chief executive of Etihad Airways, said: "Sri Lanka is an established market with a strong local traffic base.
"We expect the resumption of Etihad flights to be welcomed by the considerable Sri Lankan expatriate community living in the UAE and those living across the Middle East region who will be able to connect quickly and easily back home via Abu Dhabi."