Malaysian Batik Air commences flights to Colombo from today

Batik Air's inaugural flight, part of the direct air service relaunched between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Colombo, successfully arrived at Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport this morning (30). This service, operated using a Boeing 737 800 aircraft, is scheduled to run four days a week – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. In Sri Lanka, 'M and C Companies Pvt.

Ltd' serves as the main sales agent for Batik Air.

Coinciding with the commencement of these flights, a new long-term line maintenance agreement was officially signed on the 25th between SriLankan Engineering, the engineering division of SriLankan Airlines, and Batik Air of Malaysia. Accordingly, SriLankan Engineering will assume full responsibility for providing all necessary maintenance services for all Batik Air aircraft arriving in Colombo, thereby enhancing the safety, operational efficiency, and readiness of the aircraft.

Mr. Arasu Soundararajan, Head of Sales for Batik Air, states that this new partnership will further enhance regional tourism options between Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. He points out that Malaysian tourist arrivals by Sri Lankans, which were recorded at 61,775 in 2023, have now grown to 77,202, an increase of nearly 25 percent. Therefore, it is expected that the introduction of these four weekly flights will further boost passenger numbers.

According to Captain Daminda Rambukwella, Director General of Civil Aviation and CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, the commencement of these new flights is considered a significant step in broadly expanding Colombo's aviation sector. His Excellency Badli Hisham Adam, Malaysian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives, further stated that Malaysia is currently working to promote sports tourism and joint programs with the aim of further increasing tourist arrivals between the two countries.