“We are excited about the direct services between Sri Lanka and China as this fortifies the future plans of SriLankan’s expansion into China, which is one of our key markets. We are looking at increasing the number of destinations as well as frequencies to more cities in China in the near future,” Kapila Chandrasena, CEO of the SriLankan Airlines, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The carrier previously flew to China via Bangkok, with tourists heading for the Maldives filling many seats.

After the commencement of the services, those heading for the Maldives will reach their destination with just one stop at either of the international airports in Sri Lanka.

The new flights will come in handy for those flying to south Indian destinations such as Chennai and Bangalore.

An Airbus A330-200 will fly Colombo-Beijing on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and Colombo-Shanghai on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  -PTI