Route Analysis: Moscow-Colombo

Aeroflot has confirmed that flights to Colombo in Sri Lanka will resume in September after a hiatus during the pandemic. The SkyTeam member has filed plans to resume service between Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) and Colombo’s Bandaranaike International (CMB) on Sept. 2, initially operating 2X-weekly using Airbus A330-300s.

Flights will depart SVO on Thursdays and Saturdays at 11.40 p.m., arriving in CMB at 10.50 a.m. the following day. The return flights leave on Fridays and Sundays at 11.55 p.m. and arrive back in Moscow’s capital at 6.50 a.m. the next day.

Aeroflot started the SVO-CMB service in late 2018, with Sabre Market Intelligence figures revealing that the launch contributed to a sharp rise in traffic between Colombo and Moscow. O&D traffic totaled 74,573 two-way passengers in 2019—an increase of 77.6% on the previous 12 months.

The SkyTeam member’s return to the Moscow-Colombo market comes as SriLankan Airlines commenced a CMB-Moscow’s Domodedovo (DME) service on July 30. Flights will be every Friday using Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 28 business class seats and 269 economy seats.

The oneworld alliance member introduced a link to Moscow in 2011, operating from CMB to DME via Dubai International (DXB). The year-round route became nonstop in October 2013 and remained a fixture of SriLankan’s network until March 2015.

Aeroflot said passengers traveling to Sri Lanka will require a negative test for COVID-19 in English, taken no earlier than 72 hours before departure. A repeated test must be passed upon arrival at the destination airport.

SVO-CMB

Photo credit: Joe Pries