Travelling to Sri Lanka will now get even better with the announcement that Sri Lankan Airlines will be operating to Seychelles as of the end of October this year. The Sri Lankan’s national carrier will be substituting Mihin Lanka, the low fare carrier which has been operating on the Seychelles-Colombo route since November 2013.
The blue and white tail Mihin Lanka, has been operating a two-weekly flights to Seychelles, under a codeshare agreement with Sri Lankan Airline. Its last flight will be the outbound MJ708, departing Seychelles on the 29th of October. Sri Lankan Airline will be starting operation two days later, with an A321, the same type of aircraft that was being used by Mihin Lanka, having a 169 maximum seat capacity.
“It has been a great debut to have Mihin Lanka operating on that route, which has really paved the way to better connect Seychelles to that part of Asia, hence diversifying the tourism industry and expanding health tourism. As we thank Mihin Lanka, we also with open arms welcome Sri Lankan Airlines, which has an even bigger network, hence providing more options in terms of transit to the multiple destinations where it operates” said the Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority.
Sri Lankan Airline will be using the same slot that Mihin Lanka was using, however it will be operating 4 weekly flights at the beginning of the Winter Schedule in October, and reduced to 3 flights in January.
“The memorandum of understanding signed in Colombo between the Seychelles Government and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in April 2013, designated both Mihin Lanka, and Sri Lankan Airlines to operate on the Seychelles-Colombo route, and it will therefore be with great joy that we will welcome the national airline of Sri Lanka to our shores. Seychelles have always nurtured an excellent bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka, a destination which shares a lot of similarities with the Seychelles. Flight from Sri Lanka is now bringing a 60% passenger load capacity, and 80 tons of cargo, hence making a significant contribution to trade and tourism industry. We are certain that with Sri Lankan Airlines excellent reputation; the fact that it is now renewing its fleet, and also its affiliation to Oneworld Alliance, which is the third largest global alliance in terms of passengers, the opportunities that it will bring to Seychelles will be colossal” said Mr. Joel Morgan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport.
The inaugural flight UL 707/8 will be arriving at 0435 hrs on the 31st October. Otherwise the flights for the winter schedule is as follows:
Mondays & Wednesdays: STA/D: 0435 / 0535 LT during the period 30 October 2016 to 05 January 2017.
Thursdays & Saturdays: STA/D: 1035 / 1135 LT during the period 30 October 2016 to 05 January 2017.
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays: STA/D: 1005 / 1135 LT as from 06 January to 25 March 2017.
As it has been the case with all new aircraft it will receive a special welcome upon arrival, including a water canon salute.