Chennai: India and Sri Lanka have resumed flight services between Chennai and Jaffna after three years. Colombo discontinued the flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Monday, the first flight landed at the Jaffna International Airport. The Alliance Air service landed at Jaffna at 11.25 am local time. A small ceremony was conducted to welcome the flight which had 14 selected passengers and officials, said Upul Dharmadasa, Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services.
The flight returned to Chennai at 2.35 pm with a delay of an hour and 20 minutes. Jaffna resident Danakshan said restarting the service has made his visit to Tamil Nadu "easy and convenient." Before, he had to go to Colombo to get a connecting flight to Chennai. Another passenger Akileswaran said the resumed services came right in time for his pilgrimage to Sabarimala. "Otherwise, I have to go to Colombo to catch a flight or board a ship. The direct Chennai flight from Jaffna is pretty useful."
The Jaffna-Chennai flight duration is one and a half hours. The Alliance Air flights would operate four times a week between the two cities. Jaffna International Airport is Sri Lanka's third international airport. Its 2019 redevelopment was funded by both Sri Lanka and India.