Cyrpus Airways will make its maiden flight to Sri Lanka as an on-line carrier on November 19, a spokesman for the airline said on Friday.

Tourists who travel to Cyprus from the United Kingdom will find the new Larnaca-Colombo air link, the ideal opportunity to extend their holiday in Sri Lanka, he said. The airline plans to cater to a wide segment of travellers which would help boost the arrival figures to Sri Lanka.

The outbound sector too would benefit immensely with the increased capacity to the region, especially making available more seats for those travelling to the Holy Land.

At present only a handful of airlines fly to that region, some terminating half way in Dubai or Doha. The new service, extending up to Larnaca, Cyprus, would create that much needed improvement in the travel itinerary of those bound for the Holy Land, which will also cut the travel time considerably.

The spokesman said the new service could be described as the only direct flight from Colombo to Cyprus. The stop-over at Dubai is just 45

There are also convenient connecting flights to other destinations too, the spokesman said adding that daily there were five flights to London Heathrow; two flights to Manchester; daily to Athens, etc.

The airline also plans to meet the demand of the pilgrims from India, especially Kerala, who visit the Holy Land in their thousands. Colombo-Dubai-Larnaca provides a convenient route as those from Kerala has only to reach Trivendrum airport and from there it is only a 30-minute hop to Colombo.