A second private airline is to start flying to the Sri Lankan city of Jaffna as confidence grows in a peace process to end 19 years of civil war.

The only flights to Jaffna in the past four years were operated by the military until Expo Aviation began flights to the city in June 2002, and now Serandib Express hopes to take advantage of growing demand for flights to the region.

Private flights to the area stopped in 1998 after a plane carrying 50 people destined for Colombo crashed on the Jaffna peninsula.

The exact cause of the crash was never discovered but human rights groups suspected the plane had been shot down by Tamil Tiger rebels.

Future plans

A Serandib Express plane flew to Jaffna on Tuesday in a trial run to prove to aviation officials that the airline met safety requirements.

A regular service will begin on Thursday, initially with 11 flights a week to Jaffna.

The airline also hopes to begin flights to the eastern port of Trincomalee in about two months time, ground services manager Nishantha Perera told Reuters.

The government and Tamil Tigers called a ceasefire in February after a 19-year ethnic conflict.

Peace talks begin in Thailand on Monday.