Rossiya Airlines is going to fly nonstop flights to Sri Lankan Capital Colombo from 18th December 2018.

The Service will be operated five weekly onboard Boeing B777-300 aircraft between Moscow SVO and Colombo CMB.

Aeroflot recommenced Colombo flights with five weekly effective end of October 2018 and Russian Charter Airline Azur Air is also operating flights to Colombo. It's a good news third Russian airline is joining to operate the Moscow - Colombo route.

Rossiya Airlines Flight Timetable

SVO - CMB - 00:30 - 11:00 - FV6265 - B773 - MON.TUE.FRI.SAT.SUN
CMB - SVO - 13:00 - 19:20 - FV6266 - B773 - MON.TUE.FRI.SAT.SUN

Please find the list of airlines that fly Colombo Airport : https://www.airsrilanka.org/al/

© Air Sri Lanka do not copy the news

A total of Rs.122.3 million is owed to SriLankan by the Presidential Secretariat, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Commonwealth Games Committee for charted flights they have booked between 2006 and 2014, SriLankan Airlines Network Planning Manager Sumudu Upattisa informed the PCoI on Wednesday.

The Presidential Commission is inquiring into irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka.

Mr. Upatissa said the airlines had written to these government institutions calling for the overdue amounts.

When counsel appearing on behalf of the AG’s Department asked Mr. Upatissa, he said the money was due to the airlines for the several charted flights booked by these institutions during the Rajapaksa administration.

“There were several flights to Johannesburg, Tel Aviv, Rome and Bolivia. SriLankan does not fly to these destinations on a regular basis,” he said.

Mr. Upatissa told the PCoI that in a charted flight to Johannesburg in December 2013, there were only 26 passengers whereas it could carry 243.

He said the Presidential Secretariat paid the airline Rs.36 million for this A340 flight which has had 38 business class seats and 205 economy class seats while on another chartered flight to Tel Aviv, Israel in January 2014, the Presidential Secretariat paid the airlines Rs.46.3 million.

“Only 48 passengers travelled on this aircraft, which can carry 312. Interestingly, the plane landed first in Amman, the capital of Jordan, where 42 passengers got off. Only six people flew to Tel Aviv,” Mr. Upatissa told the PCoI.

"Another chartered flight booked by the Presidential Secretariat to take 39 passengers to Bolivia in June 2014 cost the Secretariat Rs.57 million. The aircraft can carry 312 passengers. Bolivia is also not a destination that SriLankan flies to very often."

He also informed the commission that the Presidential Secretariat had not paid the Rs.43.4 million owed for a chartered flight to Rome in October 2014 and that it had 69 passengers onboard while it could carry 312 passengers. (Yoshitha Perera)

Following controversial appointments to two key State-owned enterprises, President Maithripala Sirisena has issued fresh instructions on selection criteria in a bid to eliminate problematic candidates. Issuing a circular to all Ministry Secretaries, President’s Secretary Udaya Seneviratne informed all Ministry Secretaries that all appointments should be first cleared from his Office, President-appointed spokesperson for the Sirisena-Rajapaksa Cabinet MP Mahinda Samarasinghe told media yesterday.

The circular comes in the wake of the reported appointment of Dr. Nalaka Godahewa to head Sri Lanka Insurance and the earlier appointment of Kapila Chandrasena to SriLankan Airlines. Following criticism, the latter was removed soon after the appointment.

When asked if Godahewa is subject to the circular, Samarasinghe said he was unaware of the appointment. However, he insisted that all appointments will be subject to the circular.

Godahewa is currently on bail on a charge of misappropriating State funds.

The circular instructed Ministry Secretaries to appoint senior administrative officers suitable with similar ranks as Additional Secretaries or retired officers on a temporary basis to any vacant position in State-run enterprises.