British Airways back in Lanka

The arrival of flight BA2043 at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport recently marked the launch of British Airways' long-haul route to Sri Lanka.

A water salute from fire trucks greeted British Airways' Boeing 777 aircraft marking the airline's return to Sri Lanka after 17 years. Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa and Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Bhashwara Senanka Gunaratna and senior officials were present at the airport.

Chief Executive Officer, British Airways, Keith Williams, said, "With the arrival of flight BA2043 today and our return to Colombo, we celebrate an exciting new chapter in our commitment to increasing our presence in South Asia. We see tremendous opportunities in Sri Lanka with more customers wanting to travel to and from Sri Lanka for business and leisure."

"We are delighted to reopen our long-haul route between Colombo and London Gatwick and look forward to enhancing the travelling experience of our customers from this market," he said.

British Airways' B777-200 aircraft will operate three times a week between Colombo and London Gatwick through Male.

The flights will operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday with a three-class configuration offering flat beds in Club World, World Traveller plus and World Traveller seats.