Sri Lanka's Mattala airport resumes operation

Colombo, Dec 29 (IANS) Sri Lanka's second international airport in the southern town of Mattala resumed international flight operation on Thursday after a two-year hiatus.A plane from Russia's Red Wings Airlines landed at the airport with around 400 passengers,reports Xinhua news agency.Red Wings Airlines is to operate two flights a week to the airport, which has mostly been used over the last two years for refueling and for planes diverted in emergency situations.A few cargo planes and chartered flights have also landed at the airport over the past two years.The Sri Lankan government has offered a number of concessions for flights willing to land at Mattala.Airlines were offered a discount on landing and parking fees at Sri Lanka's main airport in Colombo if they decided to operate scheduled flights to Mattala.
--IANS ksk/

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