Special repatriation flight for Sri Lankans in Perth, Australia

SriLankan-Repatriation-Flight-Perth-to-Colombo

The Honorary Consulate of Sri Lanka in Western Australia, under the guidance of Honorary Consul Rosh Jalagge, was able to bring much-awaited relief for Sri Lankans who were unable to return to Sri Lanka, due to various COVID-19 related issues such as state border closures and the absence of direct flights.

Western Australia is home to a small population of Sri Lankans who faced many difficulties due to the current pandemic situation. A significant number of Sri Lankans were therefore stranded in the state, wishing to return to their homeland but were unable to do so. With the help of the Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Airlines, the Sri Lankan High Commission in Australia, and other supportive parties the Honorary Consulate was able to arrange a special repatriation charter flight for the safe return of these Sri Lankans back to their homeland as they wished.

This national carrier flight UL 609 departed Perth airport at 9:00am on Thursday, 27 August 2020. The passengers will then follow government quarantine requirements and PCR testing, to ensure the safety of the passengers as well as the Sri Lankan public.

As there is no direct flight from Perth to Sri Lanka, it was almost an impossible feat to bring about this highly necessary service for our Sri Lankans who were faced with numerous and sometimes unspeakable challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For accomplishing a task which was deemed almost impossible, the Honorary Consul Rosh Jalagge wishes to extend his deep gratitude to the Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Airlines, Acting High Commissioner Mr Senarath Dissanayake, Defense Counsellor Mr. Prasanna Kosala Warnakulasooriya, Sri Lankan Airlines Manager for Australia and New Zealand Mr Sanjeeva Jayathilake & his team, and the staff of the Honorary Consulate of Sri Lanka in Western Australia for their immense support that made this possible.