Resumption of Paris-Colombo flights welcomed

COLOMBO: Air France has started flying to Colombo from Paris three times a week from November as the Indian Ocean island re-opens for tourism in post-COVID-19 period.

The flight AF268 will depart Colombo at 1240 hours every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday and land in Charles de Gaulle airport at 1920 hours local time.

Air France will depart Paris on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive in Colombo via the Maldives at 1110 hours.

“The connection of Air France and Colombo dates back to the 1950s with the route Paris-Rome-Cairo-Bahrain-KarachiColombo-Bangkok-Saigon, operated by our sister company UTA,” Jean-Noel Rault, General Manager Air France – KLM, Indian Sub-continent said.

“Twenty seven years later, we are excited to return to Colombo and display our ambition to include Sri Lanka in our extensive global network.

”The carrier will deploy Boeing 787-9 aircraft with 30 business class, 21 premium economy and 228 economy class seats.

Eric Lavertu, ambassador of France to Sri Lanka, welcomed the resumption Paris-Colombo flights.

“No doubt that the city of lights and the pearl of Indian ocean are two cities which need direct and frequent relations,” he said.

As part of its commercial policy, Air France is currently offering fully modifiable tickets for travel until 31 March 2022.

Customers can modify their reservation free of charge, or request a refundable credit voucher if they no longer wish to travel.