Red Wings Charter flights contribute to over $246 Million in forex earnings to Sri Lanka via Mattala Airport since end-2022

By Nishel Fernando

Since December 29, 2022, Russia's Red Wings Charter flights has operated 392 charter flights, carrying 153,716 tourists to Sri Lanka. These efforts have generated over $246 million in foreign exchange (forex) earnings from tourism, according to Sri Lanka’s Former Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga.

in a recent social media post, he  praised Russian charter airline Red Wings for its significant role in bolstering the country’s tourism sector through operations at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA). 

Weeratunga emphasized that this achievement unfolded despite initial “false allegations” surrounding his involvement. 

He underscored MRIA’s potential as a strategic gateway for international visitors, particularly from Russia, amid Sri Lanka’s push to revive its economy through tourism-driven forex inflows.  

He emphasized that tax incentives played a key role in attracting carriers such as Red Wings to Mattala Airport. hence, he stressed on the continuation of such policies.

 The influx of Russian tourists via Red Wings accounted  for nearly 20 percent of Sri Lanka’s 2023 Russian arrivals.