Sri Lanka Tourism welcomes Air Astana’s first Christmas Day flight.

2,298,987 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka between January 1st and December 25th, 2025, highlighting the country’s robust recovery and the fantastic influence of tourism on its economy. The arrival of a significant flight from Kazakhstan was a welcome Christmas surprise for Sri Lanka Tourism, since the plane touched down on December 25th itself, marking yet another milestone.

Kazakhstan’s national airline, Air Astana, worked with LSR as the ground handler to perform the special flight. 166 people were on board this first flight during the winter of 2025–2026 in an Airbus A321. With two weekly flights (Monday and Thursday) between Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, and Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Air Astana will remain in operation until March 2026. Sri Lanka Tourism highlighted that the nation provides a 365-day destination experience, allowing visitors to take advantage of a variety of travel options in just one day. For visitors from other countries, this accessibility and variety offer great value.