SriLankan Airlines has announced the addition of three weekly flights to Melbourne from November 15, increasing its total weekly services to Australia to 14 amid growing travel demand between the two countries.
According to the national carrier, the additional flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, supplementing its existing daily services to Melbourne.
Under the new schedule, flight UL608 will depart Colombo at 2.15 p.m. and arrive in Melbourne at 5.40 a.m. the following day. The return flight, UL609, will depart Melbourne at 7.10 a.m. and arrive in Colombo at 12.10 p.m.
The airline will also continue its existing daily service, with flight UL604 departing Colombo at 12.35 a.m. and arriving in Melbourne at 4.00 p.m. Flight UL605 will operate the return journey, departing Melbourne at 5.30 p.m. and arriving in Colombo at 10.30 p.m.
SriLankan Airlines said the expansion reflects growing demand from Australia, which has emerged as one of Sri Lanka's fastest-growing inbound tourism markets, supported by leisure travellers and the Sri Lankan diaspora.
The additional flights are also expected to improve passenger connections through Colombo to destinations such as London, Chennai, Delhi and Malé, while providing better connectivity to other destinations in Australia and New Zealand through partner airlines.
The increased flight frequencies will also benefit cargo customers by providing additional capacity and faster connections, particularly for shipments from Melbourne to destinations in the Middle East via Colombo.
With the latest expansion, SriLankan Airlines will operate 14 weekly flights to Australia, comprising 10 flights to Melbourne and four to Sydney.
