The flights will operate from Chengdu, a major air hub in southwest China linking 187 cities including 78 international routes.  An Airbus A330 will fly the Chengdu-Colombo route each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. A one-way journey between Chengdu and Colombo will take about five-and-a-half hours, Air China said.

 

 

Owned and operated by Sri Lanka’s premier hospitality brand, Jetwing Air functions as the representative of Air China in the country. 

 

 

Passenger flow between southwest China and Sri Lanka has grown steadily in recent years amid increasing trade and economic activity. China is now the third-largest trade partner for Sri Lanka, which opened a consulate in Chengdu in late 2009.  Meanwhile, more Chinese tourists are visiting the island country, known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean.

 

 

Shiromal Cooray, Managing Director of Jetwing Travels welcomed the initiative, saying that “it is a new bridge connecting two great cultures, and enhancing the benefits of tourism for both countries”.