Dubai-based budget airline begins flights to its fourth new destination this week when its inaugural flight to Sri Lanka touched down in Colombo, newswire WAM reported on Thursday.

Speaking about the launch, flydubai’s CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “We’re delighted to be able to expand our range of destinations in the South Asian sub-continent with the start of our flights to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a popular tourist destination and by making travel to the capital a little less complex, a little less stressful and a little less expensive, I am confident this new route will be a popular one. Especially since a one way fare with flydubai costs from just AED450, including all taxes, charges and one piece of hand luggage.

Travel to Sri Lanka has shown a significant increase so far this year, with a 106 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2010, according to the Sri Lankan tourism board.

Sri Lanka’s economy has seen sustained growth in the last few years, recovering from a turbulent period marked by civil war and natural disasters. The country has shaken off these setbacks and started to re-emerge by recording a 3.5 per cent estimated GDP growth in 2009, helped along by extensive foreign investment, including trade with the UAE, WAM said.

Sri Lanka is a diverse and culturally rich country, with a strong history as a trading society as well as having a documented history of royal families that stretches back 2000 years.

Visitors are attracted to Sri Lanka by its magical mix as an exotic getaway offering stunning landscapes, abundant wildlife, tea plantations, beautiful beaches, tropical highland forests and incredible shopping. Colombo is the commercial hub and is home to more than 700,000 of the island’s 20 million residents, WAM added.

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