Frequency to GCC increased to 68 weekly flights
SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the ‘Oneworld’ airline alliance, is keenly looking to spread its wings further in the Middle East. Following relative political and economic stability in the aftermath of the three-decade long insurgency and the institution of a democratically elected government, tourism numbers look good as increasing numbers of international visitors gravitate to the picturesque country.
Thus an immediate fall-out, air travel has picked momentum. Meanwhile, the growing Sri Lankan workforce travelling to the GCC for employment and visits to their home country by the global Sri Lankan diaspora is fuelling the growth of air travel in this island nation.
By rolling out the red carpet to the travel trade at the recently concluded 25th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 in Dubai in May, the airline from the Emerald Isle, or Serendib—the old Arab folkloric name for Sri Lanka, was looking to attract even more tourists and business travellers from the region, by leveraging the enormous pulling power of the Indian Ocean island paradise combined with seamless onward connections to India, Southeast, East Asia as well as to Australia.
“We regard Arabian Travel Market as an important stage to reach the travel industry professionals in the Middle East, which is one of our most important source destinations,” said the ebullient and energetic Saminda Perera, General Manager Marketing SriLankan Airlines, speaking exclusively to LogisticsGulf.com on the sidelines of ATM 2018. “It is important to be present here to both interact and network with our various stakeholders, regional travel trade partners, business associates and also acquaint them with our latest product offerings and future developments,” he continued.
Responding to growing demand from the region, SriLankan Airlines has recently boosted its services with daily flights to Colombo from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bahrain and Kuwait to 68 flights a week. The airline is also looking at increasing connectivity to other parts of the Gulf depending on the demand.
GCC key to growth
Perera stressed the importance of SriLankan Airlines’ participation in this key exhibition. “ATM is significant for us both as a networking and announcement platform and we have been associated with it for the past 20 years,” he observed.
“Essentially, the GCC is of great consequence to us. This is borne out by the fact that both our frequency and passenger numbers are on the upswing,” he stressed.
In 2017, the airline carried over 2.1 million passengers to and from Sri Lanka and the GCC countries primarily the UAE and Saudi Arabia where the airline operates 18 weekly flights. Business travel has also taken off and Perera notes that increasingly regional businessmen, GCC nationals and non-SriLankan expatriates are flying to and from Sri Lanka.
SriLankan Airlines is also the foreign carrier operating the largest number of flights into India, flying to 14 cities across India and 134 flights weekly. It also successfully introduced a daily flight to Melbourne, Australia from Colombo, and quickly attained a passenger load factor currently averaging over 90%. The carrier now flies to nine destinations across the GCC and has expanded its network to the Indian subcontinent, China, Europe and the Far East.
Distinguished December 2017 performance
SriLankan Airlines achieved the highest ever monthly revenue in the company history in December 2017. The air-transport operation of the Company recorded a stand-alone revenue of US$ 100.1 million, the first instance in the 38-year history of the airline when monthly operating revenue reached this landmark figure.
The airline attributes the increase in revenue to its expanded network and continuous improvement in revenue management processes. A total of 566,627 passengers were carried during the month, a 27% increase over December 2016 and recorded a Passenger Load Factor of 85.9%, well above that of most major airlines in the world. Cargo carriage too witnessed a significant growth, rising 23% year-over-year to 12,016 metric tonnes.
Cargo on the go
“Cargo is also constitutes an important component of our operation and freight numbers are on the increase,” affirmed Perera. According to statistics, the airline uplifted and discharged approximately 267,000 tons of cargo during the calendar year 2017.
“We are constantly evaluating our strategy and reviewing our performance in the region. The growth is encouraging and we envisage further expansion in the Middle East,” he asserted.
Launched in1979 with its hub at Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka’s national carrier flies an all-Airbus fleet, which includes A330-300 and A320neo aircraft connecting to 105 destinations in 48 countries including code-share operations.
About Saminda Perera
Saminda Perera spearheads SriLankan’s Marketing and Corporate Communications Strategy. He counts more than 17 years in the air transport industry and was appointed to his current post in June, 2015.
Perera joined SriLankan as a Commercial Executive during the Emirates era, and went on to hold many of the Airlines’ prominent positions such as Director-Crisis Communications, Manager- Corporate Events and Promotions and Commercial Manager–France among a string of other senior positions.
