First winter charter flights from Poland bring around 550 tourists

Around 550 tourists from Poland arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday, marking the start of the 2026/2027 European winter tourism season.

They arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake on three special charter flights operated by the Polish airline Enter Air.

The three Boeing 737 aircraft, which departed from Katowice, Poznan and Warsaw, landed at 6.51 am, 7.40 am and 9.40 am respectively. A special welcome ceremony featuring traditional Sri Lankan cultural performances had been arranged at the airport to greet the visitors.

According to the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation, the special flight services will continue until April 2, 2027, with flights arriving every ten days from each of the three Polish cities. A total of 42 flights are planned during this period.

Tourism industry officials expect such charter services to significantly help increase the number of holidaymakers visiting Sri Lanka during the European winter, when the island's southern and western coasts enjoy their driest and sunniest weather.

Poland has emerged as one of Sri Lanka's fastest-growing European source markets in recent years, with charter connections playing a central role in bringing visitors outside the scheduled airline network.