Katunayake - Beijing direct flights commence

China's Capital Airlines, commencing new flights from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Sri Lanka, successfully landed its inaugural flight at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake yesterday (31) afternoon.

An A-330 Airbus aircraft was used for this inaugural flight, and it was welcomed with a traditional water salute upon its arrival at Katunayake Airport.

This inaugural Capital Airlines flight, JD-487, which arrived from Beijing yesterday (31) at 1:46 PM, carried 170 passengers and 13 crew members.

This new flight service is scheduled to operate twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday. Flights will arrive in Katunayake at 2:20 PM and depart for Beijing at 4:20 PM on the same day. The flight duration is eight hours.

To welcome this historic flight, several dignitaries including the Chinese Deputy Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hu Wei, and the Head of Airport Management at Katunayake Airport, Mr. Aruna Rajapaksa, were present.