Uzbek carrier Centrum Air plans to resume flights on the Tashkent–Mattala (Hambantota) route in the 2026/27 northern winter season, previously served until January 2025. Flights begin on 28 October 2026, with the airline planning two weekly flights operated by Airbus A320neo aircraft.
The schedule: flight C6553 departs Tashkent at 10:00, arriving Hambantota at 16:35 (Saturdays), or at 10:30, arriving at 17:10 (Wednesdays). The return flight, C6554, departs Hambantota at 18:00, arriving Tashkent at 23:40 (Saturdays), or at 18:45, arriving at 00:30 the following day (Wednesdays).
Hambantota is not Sri Lanka's capital but its resort south coast — beaches and national parks with lower tourist volume than Colombo. This is Centrum Air's second point on the island; the carrier has operated Colombo service since November 2024. Serving two different airports within the same country signals the carrier is testing Sri Lanka's south coast as a distinct tourism product rather than simply adding frequency to an already-established destination.
Centrum Air's winter network remains in flux even after schedules are published: last week the carrier closed bookings on a one-off Tashkent–Kittilä (Finland) service that had only been scheduled around the New Year holiday period.