A special British Airways flight (BA9110) carrying the England Cricket team arrived at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) yesterday (03).

"The arrival of British Airways to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport yesterday is significant as it is the first instance the airline touched down at MRIA and thereby shows the strategic advantage of the airport and its capabilities," Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited said in a statement.

"Further, MRIA has earned the confidence of reputed airlines to schedule international flight operations at MRIA. While the district is fast developing its infrastructural facilities such as star class hotels, hospitals, expressways, we believe the future is bright at our exotic tourism destination airport,” the statement added.

The England cricket team arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (03) to play two test matches against Sri Lanka this month with a number of stringent coronavirus protocols in place for the tourists’ arrival. The first test match begins on 14 January, followed by the second on 22 January. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team will remain isolated and will not be able to interact with the public. The matches will be played behind closed doors. The presence of the English team marks the resumption of a tour in early March last year with the eruption of COVID-19 pandemic.