Sri Lanka's Mattala airport resumes operation

Colombo, Dec 29 Sri Lanka's second international airport in the southern town of Mattala resumed international flight operation on Thursday after a two-year hiatus.

A plane from Russia's Red Wings Airlines landed at the airport with around 400 passengers,reports Xinhua news agency.

Red Wings Airlines is to operate two flights a week to the airport, which has mostly been used over the last two years for refueling and for planes diverted in emergency situations.

A few cargo planes and chartered flights have also landed at the airport over the past two years.

The Sri Lankan government has offered a number of concessions for flights willing to land at Mattala.

Airlines were offered a discount on landing and parking fees at Sri Lanka's main airport in Colombo if they decided to operate scheduled flights to Mattala.