President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Madam Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrived in Rome today (Sunday 30) on a special visit to mark the restoration of direct flights to Rome from Colombo by Sri Lankan Airlines.

The Sri Lankan flight touched down at 7.45 am in Rome at the the Fiumicino International Airport.

His visit honours an assurance given to the large Sri Lankan community in Italy that the government would take early action to restore direct air links between Rome and Colombo.

Direct flights between Colombo and Rome that operated earlier were discontinued after the Srilankan Airlines' tie-up with Emirates. During President Rajapaksa's visit to Rome last year, members of the large Sri Lankan community resident in Italy requested him to restore a direct air link between Colombo and Rome, which the President assured them he would do at the earliest.

President Rajapaksa is scheduled to visit the Vatican tomorrow (Dec 1) where he will have an audience with His Holiness the Pope.