Colombo-Jaffna flight route, a feeder service for Chennai, opened

A new domestic passenger flight service between Colombo and Jaffna, which will act as a feeder service for the Jaffna-Chennai route, began on Saturday, officials said.

Colombo Domestic Airport Manager Aruna Rajapaksa said the thrice-weekly flight would operate from Ratmalana Airport on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

"This will be the first civilian commercial flight to Jaffna based on a time table," Rajapaksa said.

In the near-three-decade-long military conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, there were no commercial domestic flights to Jaffna.

The Sri Lankan Air Force operated passenger flights on and off during the intense armed clashes.

India's Alliance Air started flights from Chennai to Jaffna early November last year following the opening of the Jaffna Airport for international routes.

The airport at Palaly in Jaffna remains under high security despite the end of armed conflict in May 2009.