• SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka starts operations from Hyderabad Airport to Colombo
• Non-stop service to Sri Lanka 4 days a week
• Holidaymakers from Hyderabad and nearby regions to immensely benefit as Sri Lankan beaches and culture now just two hours away
• Sri Lanka E-visa for Indians to make the travel hassle free

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad, today has announced Colombo, Sri Lanka as a new destination in its international network. Starting 12th July, SriLankan Airlines (IATA Code: UL), the national carrier of Sri Lanka, will start its non-stop flight between the city of pearls -Hyderabad and the island country.

With its fleet of A320 aircraft, SriLankan Airlines would operate four days in a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – service to Colombo. Sri Lanka is a popular tourist destination in South Asia. India is the No 1 source market for arrival of Foreign Tourists in Sri Lanka. The short duration non-stop flights (approx. 2 hours) and convenient flight timings from Hyderabad will entice tourists especially the large section of young travelers in and around Hyderabad to explore Sri Lanka as a popular weekend getaway. Indian citizens flying to Sri Lanka are eligible to apply for Sri Lanka e-visa online.

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said, “We are very happy to add Sri Lanka to our ever expanding portfolio of international connections. The new service by SriLankan Airlines will help passengers from 13 catchment cities from the South and Central Indian region to have direct connectivity to Sri Lanka, which has emerged as a top tourist destination for Indians.”

Most of the tourists from India visit Sri Lanka to explore its pristine beaches alongside the 1600 km of palm fringed coastline, rich culture and especially to visit places related to the great epic Ramayana which has religious and mythological significance. Sri Lanka has also emerged as a popular destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE), and of course honeymoon couples.

RGIA has handled 15.24 Million Passengers in FY2016-17, registering a growth of 22% in total passenger traffic and 23% growth in air traffic movement over FY2015-16. The airport connects 18 international destinations with 16 foreign and 3 Indian carriers and 10 domestic carriers connect Hyderabad with 35 domestic destinations.

About GHIAL:

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) is a joint venture company promoted by the GMR Group (63%) in partnership with Government of India (13%), Government of Telangana (13%) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11%). The Company was incorporated to design, finance, build, operate and maintain a world class Greenfield airport at Shamshabad, Hyderabad. Hyderabad airport was commissioned in a record time of 31 months in March 2008, with an initial capacity of 12 million passengers per annum (MPPA) and 1,50,000 MT of cargo handling capacity per annum. The Project has the flexibility to increase capacity to accommodate over 40 MPPA and shall be developed in a phased manner.

For further information about GHIAL, visit www.hyderabad.aero

For Further details, please contact:

Anindita Sinha
Head - Corporate Communications, GHIAL
E mail: Anindita.Sinha@gmrgroup.in

Prashant Kumar
Corporate Communications, GHIAL
E mail: prashant.kumar@gmrgroup.in