Thiruvananthapuram, May 30 (TIWN) With Sri Lanka reeling under its worst economic crisis, its national airline has begun refuelling at India's Thiruvananthapuram international airport.

Already, two SriLankan Airlines flights from Colombo, one bound to Frankfurt in Germany and the other to Melbourne in Australia, had a stopover at Thiruvananthapuram on Friday and Saturday. Each long haul flight, with around 12 hours of flying time, needs to refuel at least 120 tonnes. A rough calculation indicated the airport earns Rs 1 crore from refuelling alone.  Sources at the airport said the stopovers were also for cabin crew layover and technical landing. “The halts would help the fuel supply units at the airport generate more income and also fill the state and Centre’s coffers with tax revenue,” said a source. “More SriLankan Airlines flights would land here for refuelling. This has spiked the demand for fuel at the airport and oil firms have had to ensure more supply,” said a source.