British Airways today announced that it will cease to operate flights to Colombo from March 28, 2015. Services to Male will re-commence for winter 2015, but British Airways will cease to operate flights onwards to Colombo.

With SriLankan Airlines recently joining oneworld, customers in Sri Lanka will still be able to enjoy the benefits of British Airways’ extensive network of flights to Europe and North America, connecting on from the direct SriLankan Airlines flight to London Heathrow, British Airways said in a release today.

The release quotes Christopher Fordyce, Regional Commercial Manager, British Airways, South Asia, as saying that “The decision to suspend flights between Colombo and London has been a difficult one to make. We constantly assess all our global routes and take appropriate steps, as needed. The Colombo route is not making a profitable contribution to our business and we are unable to sustain it.

“British Airways will continue flying between London Gatwick and Male, however, the service will be operational only during the winter schedule to cater to the high leisure travel demand.” Fordyce has added.

British Airways has apologized from all affected customers and has said that it is in the process of contacting them, who will be offered a full refund.