Written by Zulfick Farzan
COLOMBO (News 1st) – Following controversy over grounded aircraft by its government, Russia’s Aeroflot resumed services to Sri Lanka on Monday (10).
With the arrival of an Aeroflot Flight on Monday (10) to the Katunayake International Airpor the Moscow-Colombo route will be reinstated, on conditions being promised by the Sri Lankan government that none of its planes will be grounded or arrested.
On 2nd June 2022, SU289, A330-343 aircraft was scheduled to depart from Colombo to Moscow with 191 passengers and 13 crew members, but it was not allowed, as the owner of the aircraft – Celestial Aviation of Ireland had filed a case against the airline, for a pending arbitration on the lease of the aircraft in London.
Following the legal dispute, Aeroflot also announced that it was suspending commercial flights between Colombo and Moscow.
Aeroflot is the oldest international airline that operated flights to Colombo, and it has been operating the Moscow-Colombo route since 1964.
Russia remains the third largest tourism source market year-to-date with 51,300 arrivals, behind India and UK.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Moscow in September announced that Aeroflot, the national carrier of the Russian Federation, will resume flight operations to Sri Lanka with effect from the 09th October 2022.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Moscow in consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka played a pivotal role by making a diplomatic representation with the Government of the Russian Federation in order to resume Aeroflot’s flights on this route.
Given that the Russian Federation could be regarded as an important tourist traffic source to Sri Lanka at this trying time, the Embassy was of the view that this flight resumption will be of vital importance to Sri Lankan tourism industry in the upcoming season.
