The forthcoming Beijing-Colombo service will open up more travel opportunities for business and leisure travelers from the northern and northeastern parts of China, the airline said in a release.

The flights, CA873/4, will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The outbound flight departs from Beijing at 13:30 Beijing time and arrives in Colombo at 19:10 local time. The return flight departs from Colombo at 21:10 local time and arrives in Beijing at 07:00 the following day. The flights are to be operated with Airbus 330-300 aircraft.

Statistics released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau suggest that about 12,000 Chinese travelers visited Sri Lanka in May, up 71.9% year on year.

The timely opening of the Beijing-Colombo service will become an air bridge linking the two nations and contributing to their development in the fields of economy, trading, investment and tourism. Meanwhile, the new route is also one of Air China's most important moves in 2015 to cement its global presence with its hub in Beijing and expand its route network serving South and Southeast Asia.