Beginning July 8, Sri Lankan Airlines will operate direct flights from Visakhapatnam (Vizag) to Colombo, four days a week, said chairman of Tours and Travels Association of Andhra Pradesh O Naresh Kumar.

The flight will leave Colombo at 7.15 am and reach Vizag at 9 am. In the return trip, the flight will leave Vizag at 10 am and arrive at Colombo at 12.15 pm. Naresh Kumar said the Association has been following up with the Sri Lankan team for the last 6 months and the team visited the city three times for preliminary study. “We have discussed the tourism potential and also cargo potential from Vizag especially in garment, pharma and seafood exports,’’ Naresh Kumar said. Trade potential will greatly increase as the two port cities of Colombo and Vizag are among the top cargo handlers by sea currently in the world, he added.

Passengers can visit Maldives, Mauritius, Hong Kong, China, Japan and many other countries from Vizag by direct boarding passes issued here along with baggage check in Vizag itself with a brief stopover in Colombo. This new flight will open up many new destinations with low cost, reported The Hans India.