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Royal Landing:
15 Apr 2013 12:42:11
British Airways' flights resume to Colombo after 17 years


Apr 15, 2013 (SLBO) - The arrival of flight BA2043 at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport today at 1235 hrs (LT) local time marks the successful launch of British Airways' newest long-haul route to Sri Lanka. A water salute from fire trucks greeted British Airways' Boeing 777 aircraft marking the airline's grand return to Sri Lanka after 17 years.


Caption:A water salute from fire trucks greeted British Airways' Boeing 777 aircraft marking the airline's grand return to Sri Lanka after 17 years.

Minister of Economic Development in Sri Lanka, Basil Rajapakse and Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Bhashwara Senanka Gunarathna, along with other senior officials were present at Bandaranaike airport for the inaugural betel leaf ceremony and a traditional dance performance.
Keith Williams, Chief Executive Officer, British Airways said, "With the arrival of our 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 coming from Sri Lanka with more customers wanting to travel to and from Sri Lanka for both business and leisure. We are delighted to reopen our long-haul route between Colombo and London Gatwick today and look forward to enhancing the travelling experience of our customers from this market."

Starting today, British Airways' B777-200 aircraft will be operating three times a week between Colombo and London Gatwick via Male. The flights will operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday with a three-class configuration offering flat beds in Club World, our premium economy, World Traveller plus and World Traveller seats.

British Airways has introduced an attractive offer on return fares between Colombo and London starting from only LKR 98,579. The exclusive offer is available for sale until 21 April 2013 for outbound travel period from 08 April to 31 July 2013.

British Airways has a worldwide route network that covers more than 150 destinations in 75 countries.

In 2010, the airline completed its merger with Iberia of Spain to create the International Airlines Group (IAG). IAG's combined business offers flights to 205 destinations throughout the world on a fleet of 415 aircraft. Together with a joint business agreement with American Airlines, the combined network of British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines serves 433 destinations in 105 countries with more than 5,180 daily departures.

In September 2011, British Airways won the accolade of 'Best European Airline' for the 11th consecutive year, as voted by readers of Business Traveller Asia Pacific. At the Business Traveller Awards 2011 held in London, British Airways was also chosen by readers as the 'Best Airline' and its Executive Club was awarded 'Best Frequent Flyer Programme'.