Flydubai to commence flights to MRIA next month

Dubai based airline, flydubai, will start scheduled operations to its second destination in Sri Lanka, the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) on 21 May 2013.

The carrier announced that in addition to their current daily flights to Colombo, it will start three-times a week service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays to MRIA from 21 May 2013 and on a daily basis from June.

The airline would be the second international carrier to fly to Hambantota after Air Arabia.

More than 30 percent of flydubai’s total passenger traffic to Sri Lanka in 2012 was connecting traffic from Central and Eastern European countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Southern and Eastern tourism will receive a major boost with this move.

The carrier launched flights to Colombo in July 2010 with a four-times weekly service. Following increased demand this rose to five times a week two months later, before daily operations began in March 2012. Flights to Hambantota will operate three-times a week from 21 May 2013leaving Dubai on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 2250hrs, landing in Mattala International Airport at 0635hrs local time following a stop in Colombo at 0555hrs.

The return flight, direct to Dubai departs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0730hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1050hrs local time.