COLOMBO/CHENNAI: India and Sri Lanka on Monday resumed flight services between Chennai and Jaffna, three years after the island nation discontinued the services due to Covid, and the passengers expressed happiness about the hassle-free journey.
The first flight on resumption of services landed this morning at the Jaffna International Airport, Upul Dharmadasa, the Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services told reporters.
Jaffna airport officials said 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, mostly officials, on board.
The flight returned to Chennai at 2.35 pm local time, a delay of an hour and 20 minutes.
On arrival here, Jaffna resident Danakshan told PTI that the flight to Chennai made his Tamil Nadu visit 'easy and convenient'. He was here to visit his relatives in the state.
Previously, the passenger said he had to go to Colombo to get a connecting flight to Chennai.
Akileswaran, another native of Jaffna, said the resumption has proved to be timely for him as his pilgrimage to Sabarimala in Kerala has become hassle-free.
"Otherwise, I have to go to Colombo to catch a flight or board a ship. The direct Chennai flight from Jaffna is pretty useful," he said.
Sekar, an Indian Tamil, and his wife Mrutula, a native of Jaffna, expressed similar views.
The couple, who now live in the USA, said their proposal to go on a vacation to Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka is 'quicker now,' thanks to the direct flight.
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.
The airport in Palaly was named the Jaffna International Airport as Sri Lanka's third international airport in October 2019 and had its first flight from Chennai.
The 2019 redevelopment of the airport was funded by both Sri Lanka and India.
The tourism sector is the main source of foreign exchange earnings for cash-strapped Sri Lanka.
However, the onset of the pandemic in 2020 severely crippled the tourism sector and was one of the major reasons for Sri Lanka's economic travails.
The resumption of flights is expected to help the country's tourism sector and provide a fillip to its beleaguered economy.