India, Sri Lanka resume flight service between Chennai and Jaffna after Covid break

The tourism sector is the main source of foreign exchange earnings for cash-strapped Sri Lanka

An Alliance Air flight took off from Chennai and landed at the international airport in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna on Monday afternoon, resuming direct flight services between the two cities, after a pandemic-induced break of nearly three years.

The flight -- 9I 101 -- operated by Air India’s subsidiary took off from the Anna International Airport in Chennai at 10.20 am and landed at the Jaffna Airport an hour later.

At the Chennai Airport, passengers, including dignitaries, were given a traditional welcome before they boarded the inaugural flight. Vineet Sood, the airline’s CEO, and others were part of the flight.

Also Read | Air India close to finalise deal of 50 Boeing 737 MAX planes for Air India Express

The flight from Chennai was received at the Jaffna Airport by Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Harin Fernando and India's Consul General in Jaffna, Raakesh Natraj. They also flagged off the return flight from Jaffna.

“Another step towards strengthening the millennia-old people to people connect between #India and #SriLanka. #Jaffna accords a warm and traditional welcome to the passengers of @allianceair 9I 101 Chennai - Jaffna flight,” the Indian Mission in Sri Lanka tweeted.

The direct flight service will operate four times a week. The onward flight will take off at 9.25 am to land in Jaffna at 10.50 am, while on the return journey, the flight will take off from Jaffna at 11.50 am to land in Chennai at 1.15 pm.

An Alliance Air flight from Chennai was the first international aircraft carrier to land at the brand-new Jaffna airport in October 2019, marking the resumption of a direct link between the two cities after a gap of 40 years. The two cities enjoyed direct flight services till the 1970s but were suspended following the civil war.

Jaffna and Chennai are geographically, historically and culturally close to each other and a direct flight would help the Sri Lankan diaspora in India avoid Colombo to reach the North as it consumes more time. The direct services will also boost tourism and trade links between Tamil Nadu and Jaffna.

Once the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) turned into a full-fledged war in the late 1970s, the Jaffna airport, which was constructed during World War II, was converted into a strategic airbase that helped the Sri Lankan Army mount offensive against the now defunct LTTE and airdrop supplies to its forces. The airbase was also used extensively by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) for the transportation of its men to and from Jaffna.

An airbase till the end of the war, domestic flights from Jaffna to Colombo began in 2012 and efforts to convert the domestic airport into international fructified only now. The airport runway has now been extended from 950 metres to 1,400 metres and would further be extended up to 2,300 metres.