The authorities of the popular resort island gave Russia guarantees for the safety of air travel. Approximately Sri Lanka will expand air transportation to Russia by one third only by Russian carriers, creating favorable conditions for them. Perhaps there will be even more flights – the plans are supported by the country's leadership.
The fact that Sri Lanka plans to expand cooperation in the transport sector and air traffic with Russia is the Minister of Transport of the country Bandula Gunawardana. In an interview with RIA Novosti, he said that the popular resort island “plans to develop cooperation with Russia in the transport sector, including expanding air traffic and transport links in general.
He also assured that Russian air carriers were given guarantees against the arrest of aircraft and ships due to sanctions. “The authorities of Sri Lanka have already given the Russian authorities guarantees that its ships or planes will not be arrested on the island, there will be no risk of arrests in the future. I don’t think this can happen again,” added the head of the local Ministry of Transport.
Recall that in June 2022, an Aeroflot plane was arrested in Sri Lanka. The Russian Foreign Ministry protested to the country's ambassador. Despite the fact that later the arrest was lifted, and the country's authorities apologized for the incident, air traffic was restored only in October.
As for the specifics of increasing routes, at the moment, according to the latest orders of the Federal Air Transport Agency, their number could grow by a third. We are talking about flights on the route Moscow – Colombo. Their number can grow from 14 to 21 per week. At the same time, 3 Russian air carriers fly to Sri Lanka at the moment. These are Aeroflot, Red Wings and Azur Air.
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