Due to the political and economic instability in the South Asian nation, budget airline Flydubai has halted flights to Sri Lanka.
The airline announced that it will issue refunds to passengers who had purchased tickets.
Flights operated by Flydubai between Colombo Airport (CMB) and Dubai decided to cancel as of July 10 till further notice.
A Flydubai representative said in a statement on Monday that the company would keep a careful eye on the situation there.
Sri Lanka is a well-liked tourist location, and local airlines transport plenty of people from Dubai to Colombo. Flydubai, a moderate airline, listed Colombo as one of its most well-liked destinations and noted an increase in flight demand in April.
Yet, this comes after the United Arab Emirates Embassy issued a travel warning,
Its residents stay away from Sri Lanka and from places where protests are taking place in light of the dire political and economic situation.
As a result, FlyDubai a UAE airline has stopped operating flights to Sri Lanka until the end of August.
What caused the suspension of Flydubai flights to Sri Lanka facing local unrest
The leaders of the South Asian nation were bound to leave their official houses as a result of widespread protests.
Furthermore, Regional unrest.
It’s leading to a shortage of food and fuel in the country, and Sri Lanka’s chaos as a result of the severe lack of funds for the importation of fuel and food.
A statement on Monday by a spokesperson stated that:
“People in Sri Lanka suggest that the reason for the nation’s economic collapse on widespread corruption and nepotism.”
A representative for Flydubai conveyed, an apology for the disruption to the travel plans of our passengers.
Passengers who have made reservations to take these flights will give the option of receiving a refund.
FlyDubai’s busiest summer after Covid-19
The Covid-19 outbreak, per the Dubai-based FlyDubai airline,
has raised travel demand, and the company is geared up for a record-breaking summer.
The airline expects to transport three million people during its busiest summer ever. In comparison to pre-pandemic levels.
The airline looks forward that flydubai’s network of 102 destinations will have an average of 8,500 departures per month.
The state of affairs in Sri Lanka
The tourist industry plays a significant role in Sri Lanka’s economy. One of the major sources of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings was set back by the pandemic and is still struggling to recover.
Since its foreign currency reserves got hampered, the country is no longer able to buy goods and resources from other countries.
As a result, there was a significant increase in the cost of basic items, with inflation reaching approximately 55%.
Sri Lanka has also been unable to provide or import enough fuel for vital transportation services.
Including buses, medical vehicles, and railways due to a lack of foreign cash.
Since the beginning of the year, the scarcity of fuel has also caused gasoline and diesel prices to rise.
Yet, the government has banned the sale of gasoline and diesel for non-essential cars for two weeks, making it the first country to do so since the 1970s.
Suggestions to read: Petrol and Diesel costs keep rising in the following months.
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