Apr 11, Colombo: Sri Lanka's budget carrier, Mihin Lanka has decided to suspend its operations to Trichy in Tamil Nadu effective June 01due to lack of passengers, the airlines' agent in Tamil Nadu said today.

S K Mittal, executive director of Trans Lanka Air Travels, the Chennai-based general sales agency (GSA) for the airline, told reporters in Chennai that the budget line has decided to stop its four weekly flights between Trichy and Colombo due to the falling numbers of passengers coming to Trichy from Colombo.

"We have taken a decision to ground the four flights to Colombo because of lack of patronage on this sector," Mittal has said.

Following the attacks on the Sri Lankan pilgrims by the pro-LTTE Tamil activists at Thanjavur and Velankanni in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Lankan government issued a travel advisory to its citizens cautioning against traveling to the Indian state.

Mihin Lanka operates 18 services every week from Trichy to Colombo and it connects Trichy with Sharjah and Bahrain.

The budget airliner's decision would affect the Indian exports to Europe and West Asia from the region, which pass through Colombo, according to Indian media reports.