Colombo:
Flights between Chennai and Palaly in northern Sri Lanka resumed on Monday, ending a break of nearly three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continuing air travel, a flight from Chennai International Airport reached Jaffna International Airport at Palaly at 10.50 am on Monday and left for Chennai at 11.30 am.
According to the Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Authority, four flights are to be operated every week between the two destinations, and the number of trips is to be increased in the future.
The facilities have been arranged after about six months of discussion for Alliance Air of India to fly from Chennai to Jaffna and back,
Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Major General GA Chandrasiri told the media.
We are planning to increase the number of flights in the future, said the chairman.
ATR 72 aircraft to be used for direct flight operations every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
With a vision to connect our neighboring countries, we endeavor to provide better air connectivity to all our neighbors with their nearest city hubs, Alliance Air said in a statement.
Pre-Covid, Alliance Air operated this international commercial flight.
Alliance Air will resume this flight operation with the support of the Government of India.
The airline said this flight was unique in many ways. Apart from being the first international flight of Alliance Air, it has connected Chennai to Jaffna after a gap of 41 years.
Passengers coming to Chennai from Delhi, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Dubai, Trivandrum,
and Muscat can make their flight journey from Jaffna more convenient.
The airline was earlier a subsidiary of Air India until the national carrier’s disinvestment and handing over to the Tata group in January this year.
Most Tamils living in Jaffna and the northern peninsula of Sri Lanka have historical, cultural,
and religious links with Chennai and the state of Tamil Nadu. Both Sri Lankans and Indians travel between the two destinations.
