Sri Lanka could see the launch of a scheduled domestic airline service using 50–70-seater aircraft within the next six months, potentially addressing a long-standing barrier to tourism growth, according to aviation veteran and former SriLankan Airlines CEO Peter Hill.
Hill made these remarks during a panel discussion at the International Tourism Leaders Summit 2025, held on Thursday at the BMICH in Colombo. The event, organized by Sri Lanka Tourism in collaboration with the Alumni Association of Tourism Economics and Hospitality Management, University of Colombo, focused on the theme, “Tourism Innovation and Connectivity for the Future of Sri Lanka Tourism.”
Addressing a key bottleneck for tourism dispersal—long and arduous land travel times—Hill discussed his active involvement in a project to establish an affordable domestic flight operation. The lack of efficient internal connectivity has historically hindered efforts to spread tourism revenue to developing regions.
“It still takes an awful long time to get to places like Jaffna and the East Coast,” he noted. Hill envisions an airline that goes beyond the expensive, low-capacity air taxis and helicopters currently available, which cater to a select few.
“The right equipment is aircraft that can seat maybe 50 to 70 people and carry their luggage with them in comfort,” Hill stated, emphasizing that such aircraft are readily available on the global market.
Highlighting the dramatic time savings, he pointed out that the Colombo–Jaffna route, which takes nine to ten hours by road, is a mere 50-minute flight. “People are prepared to pay for that time, especially our tourists,” he added.
While optimistic, Hill confirmed he is actively working to convince investors and noted that the initiative requires support from authorities to streamline the significant regulatory transition from charter operations to a scheduled airline. “Let’s say that maybe within six months we’ll have an operation going. So, watch this space,” he concluded.
