KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will resume direct flights from Amsterdam to Colombo from November 1 after 20 years. They will fly two flights per week.

For the first time Sri Lanka would see an Boeing 789-900 Dreamliner aircraft being deployed for these operations by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. “We want to extend our regional foot print and this is one reason for us to touch on Colombo,” said Max Smits, General Manager, Indian Sub-continent. He said that in addition Sri Lanka has been a safe and stable country since the civil war came to an end in 2009. “Since then, the economy – tourism in particular – has grown exponentially. Sri Lanka’s per capita income too doubled in the past10 years and the island is a popular tropical leisure destination for Europeans,” he added. He said that exit of SriLankan from Paris and Frankfurt did not have an impact on their decision to fly to Colombo. “We decided to fly before SriLankan made this announcement,”he said. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has 30 seats in World Business Class, 48 seats in Economy Comfort and 216 seats in Economy Class. KLM suspended service to the Sri Lankan capital in 1997 as the war escalated.

Source: http://dailynews.lk/?q=2016/09/12/business/92884