By Newswire Editorial

SriLankan Airlines has announced the addition of three weekly flights to Melbourne from November 15, increasing its total services to Australia to 14 flights per week amid growing travel demand between the two countries.

In a statement, the national carrier said the additional Melbourne flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, supplementing its existing daily services to the Australian city.

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, while 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 Melbourne service, with flight UL604 departing Colombo at 12.35 a.m. and arriving in Melbourne at 4.00 p.m. The return flight, UL605, will depart Melbourne at 5.30 p.m. and arrive in Colombo at 10.30 p.m.

SriLankan Airlines said the expansion comes as Australia continues to emerge as one of Sri Lanka’s fastest-growing inbound tourism markets, driven by leisure travellers and the Sri Lankan diaspora.

The additional frequencies are expected to provide shorter transit times for passengers connecting through Colombo to destinations including London, Chennai, Delhi and Malé, while improving connections to other destinations in Australia and New Zealand through partner airlines.

The airline said the increased services will also benefit cargo customers through improved capacity and faster connections, particularly for shipments from Melbourne to destinations in the Middle East via Colombo.

With the expansion, SriLankan Airlines will operate 14 weekly flights to Australia, comprising 10 services to Melbourne and four to Sydney. (Newswire)