Afghanistan request Sri Lanka to operate direct flights

Afghanistan has requested Sri Lanka to start a weekly flight to operate between Colombo-Kabul-Mumbai-Colombo to meet the increasing demand for both transporting passengers and goods to and from the two countries.

The request was made when Dr. Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, Acting Minister of Finance and Chief Adviser to President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Infrastructure, Human Capital, and Technology, met with S President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on Sunday in Colombo.

President Rajapaksa welcomed the Minister’s proposal, which he said he would instruct the Chairman of the Sri Lankan Airlines to consider for implementation. 

Minister Qayoumi appreciated the support of the President, as he highlighted the key Afghan goods—including fresh fruits, dried nuts, precious and semi-precious stones, and certain rare earth minerals—with high demand in Sri Lanka, which could be exported to the Sri Lankan markets once the air corridor was in place.

 He particularly pointed out Afghanistan’s demand for tourism, medical tourism, and higher education tourism in Sri Lanka, as well as employment of Sri Lankan skilled labor, which could be facilitated as soon as air connectivity were established between the two countries.