Thiruvananthapuram: Long-haul flights from Sri Lanka, which is grappling with fuel shortage, have been making a pitstop at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala for refuelling.
The SriLankan Airlines' Airbus 330, heading to Melbourne in Australia from Colombo, landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Saturday for refuelling. An airbus, from Colombo to Frankfurt in Germany, had also recently made a stopover in Thiruvananthapuram to refuel.
The flights from Sri Lanka chose to head to Thiruvananthapuram, which is the nearest international airport, after the economic crisis led to fuel shortage and soaring prices in the island nation.
Four more flights, operating services to Melbourne and Frankfurt, will land in Thiruvananthapuram on June 1 and 2 for refuelling. Though several flight services to international destinations from Sri Lanka were suspended after the fuel shortage became severe, the services to Melbourne and Frankfurt are being continued as they have been profitable.
The shorter distance and lower cost than in Chennai airport attract SriLankan Airlines to the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
The fuel is being supplied to the SriLankan Airlines at the same rate as that for the flights from Thiruvananthapuram. Currently, the Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil Corporation are supplying fuel here.
A proposal has already been submitted to the Centre for converting the Thiruvananthapuram airport to an aviation fuel station for the international flights, in a bid to generate additional revenue. But this requires agreements between the countries.
