flydubai, Dubai's innovative airline, made a special touch down at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Sri Lanka, also known as Hambantota International Airport, as part of the official opening day celebrations. flydubai's Chief Commercial Officer Hamad Obaidalla headed the delegation on the same day the carrier announced it will start a three-times a week service to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport from May 21, 2013. The celebratory flight landed to a ceremonial water cannon salute before Obaidalla was met by senior aviation authority and other government officials. FZ551 departs Dubai Terminal 2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 2250 hours, landing in Mattala International Airport at 0635 hours local time following a stop in Colombo at 0555 hours. The return flight, FZ552, direct to Dubai departs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0730 hours, arriving in Dubai at 1050 hours local time. Return fares from Dubai to Hambantota start at SR995 with return fares from Hambantota to Dubai starting at LKR31,365. Fares include one piece of hand luggage weighing up to 7kg and one small laptop bag or hand bag. Checke-in baggage starts at SR50 ($14) for 20kgs. A seat with extra legroom costs SR100 ($28) extra. Obaidalla said “we are grateful to the authorities for their continued support and for giving flydubai the opportunity to serve the Sri Lankan market. We 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. We are delighted to start operations to the new Mattala Airport, which will help to increase the accessibility and drive the development of the Eastern and Southern coasts.” Through this second route to the island, flydubai continues to further support the Sri Lanka government's efforts to bring in 2.5 million visitors a year by 2016. The airline carried 104,000 passengers in 2012, recording a remarkable 67 percent year-on-year growth. To better accommodate the surge in passenger traffic to Sri Lanka especially from Central & Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), flydubai has focused on improving connection times in Dubai. Its new, more convenient schedule led to a 911 percent increase in the number of passengers connecting from 34 weekly flights to Colombo to date. “We are always exploring new opportunities to connect Dubai to other destinations within our network. Through this new route, those seeking leisure breaks from Central & Eastern Europe and the CIS will be able to take advantage of the affordable, high quality service for onward travel to Sri Lanka via one stop in Dubai aviation's hub,” added Obaidalla. flydubai has the most comprehensive network to the CIS and Central & Eastern Europe of any other Middle Eastern carrier, connecting Colombo, and once in operation Hambantota, to 15 destinations in 10 countries in the regions. — SG
