China Southern Airlines Begins Direct Flights to Colombo

China Southern Airlines has begun direct flights to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo with its maiden flight arriving at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Tuesday evening, local media reports said Wednesday.

The airline will operate three flights a week between Guangzhou and Colombo en route the Maldives.

Hemas Aviation Pvt Ltd has been appointed as the General Sales Agent for the Chinese carrier.

A spokesperson from Hemas Aviation said, "As the General Sales Agent for China Southern Airlines, we are excited to introduce the airline's on-line operations to Sri Lanka. Our goal is to ensure that we support China Southern to enhance its presence, with Bandaranaike International Airport becoming its 122nd international destination."

Sri Lanka has received over 1.4 million tourists so far this year with China emerging as one of the largest markets with the most number of tourist arrivals.