FOLLOWING a two-year hiatus, Austrian Airlines is resuming flights to Sri Lanka on October 27 to Colombo, making it the only European carrier to operate direct flights to the island-nation.
The airline will operate the once-weekly Vienna-Colombo route on a Boeing 767 aircraft, covering the journey in about nine hours and 10 minutes.
Austrian Airlines had been operating scheduled flights to Colombo until seven years ago when it offered only charters, which were subsequently suspended two years ago.
According to Shiromal Cooray, managing director at Jetwing Travels, local GSA for Austrian Airways, the airline is returning to Sri Lanka due to stronger demand from Europe. “Austrian Airlines could also serve as a feeder for passengers travelling to Colombo from Hungary, Switzerland and even Germany,” she added.
Andreas Otto, chief commercial officer of Austrian Airlines, said: “We are increasingly focusing on longhaul tourist destinations which are particularly in demand during the winter months. In addition to the Maldives and Mauritius, Sri Lanka is yet another destination in the Indian Ocean.”
The Vienna-based airline also flies to Delhi, Bangkok, Beijing and Tokyo in Asia.
