SRI Lanka’s national carrier is cancelling six flights and rescheduling ten others due to next year’s three-month partial closure of the country’s main international airport for urgent maintenance work on its aged runway.
Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) is to be closed between 08.30 and 17.30 from January 6 to April 6, 2017.
SriLankan Airlines last week had a meeting with the slot committee, which decides on all flight schedules, and the carrier decided to cancel day flights to Singapore, Chennai, Trichy, Male, Cochin and Bangalore.
The flights that are being rescheduled involve services to Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Trivandrum, New Delhi, Karachi, London and Jeddah.
The trade has expressed concern over the closure but acknowledges that maintenance work is also essential for passenger safety.
