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karatecatman


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News about Sri Lanka's Sri Lankan
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Goa to become SriLankan Airlines’ 50th destination
Monday, May 29, 2006


 


 
The famed Indian coastal resort town of Goa is to become SriLankan Airlines’ 50th global destination, and the 10th in India, with the airline planning to launch services from Colombo in October.


SriLankan is the largest foreign carrier operating to India, with nearly a hundred weekly flights to New Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Madras, Trichy, Trivandrum, Calicut, and Kochi.


Peter Hill, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, said: “We at SriLankan are acutely aware of the growing importance and opportunities of the travel market both into and out of India. SriLankan has positioned itself as the link between India and the rest of the world, and we have been steadily expanding our presence there in the last few years. We are very excited about commencing services to Goa, which we see as having excellent commercial prospects.”


The twice-weekly flights, which would be of two hours’ duration, are scheduled for Mondays and Saturdays.


Barry Brown, Chief Commercial Officer, said: “SriLankan continues to explore further opportunities by increasing our services to India, and we are currently considering launching services to more cities, as well as increasing the frequency of flights to existing destinations.”


“We believe this service would be very useful for travellers between Goa on the one hand and our destinations in Europe and the Middle East on the other,” said N. Prabaharan, Regional Manager Sri Lanka & Indian Subcontinent. “There is also a large volume of traffic between India and Sri Lanka, which is expected to keep on increasing.”


Bilateral travel between India and Sri Lanka is at an all-time high with Indians being among the most frequent visitors to Sri Lanka. In return, Sri Lankans now rank as the third largest block of visitors to India, after the United States and Britain.


Large numbers of Indian shoppers descend on Colombo throughout the year to snap up name-brand clothing at bargain prices, as well as the island’s traditional products of tea, gemstones, and exotic handicrafts. Many Indian families also choose Sri Lanka for their vacations, with its mix of 2,500-year-old culture, wildlife parks, breathtaking scenery, and golden beaches.


The airline’s domestic arm, SriLankan Air Taxi, has made the entire island accessible within an hour, and now serves 14 destinations, with the low-flying amphibious aircraft giving a breathtaking view of the panorama of Sri Lanka, combined with the exhilaration of a landing on water.


Colombo has become a destination of choice for many Indian companies for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE tourism), taking advantage of the excellent facilities in hotels on the Indian Ocean island, and combining business with a vacation for their employees or management.


Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport is second to none in the South Asian region in terms of comfort and facilities, with its modern Pier and Aero-Bridges, well-stocked Duty Free Shopping Complex, and sophisticated Business Class Lounge.


SriLankan Airlines has in recent years achieved global recognition for its standards in excellence, winning such prestigious titles as “World’s Best Airline” in a survey of Economy Class passengers, “World’s Friendliest Cabin Staff”, first runner-up for “World’s Best Cabin Staff”, “Best Overall Inflight Entertainment (for a fleet of 20 or less)”, and “World’s Most Efficient Operator of Airbus A330s (small fleet category)” from Airbus Industrie.


SriLankan has also dominated regional awards, winning the Skytrax award for Best Airline in Central Asia for four consecutive years, as well as the TTG Asia Award for Best Airline in South Asia three times, and the Galileo Indian Express Award for the Best Eastbound International Airline from India.
_________________________________________________________________________ 


16 May 2006 19:30:25
Emirates, government to thrash out SriLankan Airlines deal in June
 
 
May 16 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is to hold a fresh round of talks with Emirates Airlines next month, on extending the management contract with SriLankan Airlines.
 


The two sides are yet to set a date and detailed agenda for talks.


“Preliminary discussions on the way forward were cordial, though the meeting was not on specific items,” Chandana de Silva, Head of Corporate Communications at SriLankan Airlines told LBO on Tuesday.


“A follow up round of talks will most likely be held in June.”


Dubai based Emirates picked up a 40 percent management stake in national carrier SriLankan Airlines, formerly Air Lanka, in March 1998, for 4.9 billion rupees.


Emirates has since upped its stake in SriLankan to 43.6 percent, buying up a few shares allotted to the national carrier’s employees during its privatisation.


Dubai’s Emirates have been keen to extend the ten year agreement, which expires in 2008 and includes privileges such as exclusive rights to ground handling and catering at the Bandaranaike International Airport.


The deal signed in 1998 also included a monopoly on international routes that ended two years ago, allowing new entrants to carry international traffic out of Sri Lanka.


Operating with 14 Airbus planes, SriLankan Airlines flies to 49 destinations in 28 countries.
 
_________________________________________________________________ 



UAE offices set records for SriLankan Airlines
New figures posted by SriLankan Airlines have revealed that the Middle East as a region has exceeded its revenue targets for the financial year ending March 2006, with the Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices in particular performing well in attracting new custom for the carrier.
United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, May 02 - 2006 at 13:36 GMT+4



 
country manager Desiree Premachandra.


 
SriLankan Airlines adds more direct flights to Middle East
SriLankan Airlines launches mobile data check
SriLankan Airlines launches Internet booking service
SriLankan Airlines achieves record figures
SriLankan Airlines opens new business class lounge in Colombo



According to UAE country manager Desiree Premachandra, an increasing number of passengers were using SriLankan to travel, via Colombo, to India and other Asian destinations, enjoying premium onboard service and facilities combined with exceptional value-for-money pricing.


'Overall, we achieved the highest passenger carriage since starting flights to the Gulf, with local sales exceeding 55,000 tickets, a 65 per cent rise over 2004/5,' she said.


'Numbers to Trivandrum were up more than 20 per cent, Trichy passengers rose by 45 per cent, while Cochin saw an 185 per cent rise over the previous year and Chennai recorded an 11 per cent increase above the previous record set in 1994/5.'


Passengers bound for Colombo, for either business or leisure, also increased by 35 per cent, a result attributed in part to the aggressive marketing adopted by SriLankan in the UAE where golf, family, sports and sightseeing holidays have been promoted during the year.



'We increased capacity from Sri Lanka to the UAE, with 40 per cent more seats available to Dubai alone but we have upped revenues by 52 per cent, and this total was our highest ever from the station,'


 


she added.


Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi's contribution to revenues rose 94 per cent with passenger numbers nearly 84 per cent above target.


'We now offer an excellent service from both emirates, providing visitors to Sri Lanka and onward travellers to points in India and South-East Asia with convenient connections - and this is reflected in the results achieved during the past year,' concluded Premachandra.


_____________________________________


Skywards wins at loyalty programme awards in Los Angeles
Skywards, the frequent flyer programme of Emirates and SriLankan Airlines, took top honours in Los Angeles at InsideFlyer magazine's 18th Annual Freddie Awards.
United Arab Emirates: Thursday, May 11 - 2006 at 13:12 GMT+4



 
Presenting the Freddie Award to Brian LaBelle, Skywards Vice President, is Randy Petersen, Publisher/Editor of InsideFlyer Magazine, at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles.


Skywards received a 'Freddie' for 'Best Reward Promotion, Asia-Pacific' for its Ramadan Promotion of 50% off reward flights to 30 destinations.


The Freddie Awards provide travellers the opportunity to rank airline and hotel frequent traveller programmes based on their own experience, through a system which balances the popular vote with the overall merit and quality of the programme.


Brian LaBelle, Vice President Skywards, said: 'We are delighted to have been recognized again for our delivery of service to our valued members. The Freddies are a top mark of recognition among loyalty programmes in the airline industry. We are proud of our consistent success.'


This is the 12th Freddie Award Skywards has received since its launch in 2000. These latest awards are added to Emirates' already impressive collection of more than 300 international awards.


_____________________________________________________________
Marketing Sri Lanka to American Traveler
Wed, 2006-05-24 11:30
Washington, D.C. 24 May (Asiantribune.com): The Americans have special interests when traveling to the Asian Continent: diving, surfing, bird- watching, trekking, hot air ballooning, white water rafting and eco-tourism.


The SriLankan Airlines Senior Vice President for North America and Canada, Ken Campbell believes that “the American public wasn’t traveling to Sri Lanka not because of the unrest, but because they do not know about what the country has to offer.”


As Campbell emphasized, the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington has understood the need for more aggressive marketing of Sri Lanka as a product to the high-end American traveler, particularly through ‘special interest’ marketing.


In a bid to discuss strategies to promote Sri Lanka better to the American traveler, the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington on 22 May hosted heads of leading travel agencies in the United States catering to the Sri Lankan market.


Travel representatives from Washington, Virginia, New York and Los Angeles were among those who participated in this event, which was also attended by the Honorary Director of the Ceylon Tourist Board and representatives of SriLankan Airlines.


The need for both the Sri Lankan Tourist Board and the country’s premier airline to collaborate with the Sri Lanka embassy in Washington in getting a cohesive message across to the American traveler was greatly emphasized at this gathering.


What Sri Lanka ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke highlighted was that during the entirety of the civil unrest or conflict in Sri Lanka foreign tourists have not been targeted or been directly affected possibly due to the fact that the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) did not wish to antagonize governments that hosted sizeable Sri Lanka Tamil Diaspora. The situation in tourist attractions such as Indonesia and Egypt was different, and Sri Lanka never faced such a situation, the ambassador further noted.


Opening the meeting in Washington Ambassador Goonetilleke said even though Sri Lanka tourism suffered a set back due to Tsunami, following the tourism revival program ‘Bounce Back Sri Lanka’, which also received assistance from the Asian Development Bank, total arrival in 2005 were marginally less than the previous year. While 549,308 tourists were recorded in 2005, the expectation is that arrivals in 2006 would exceed 600,000, he noted. Of this number, there were over 25,000 U.S. travelers had visited Sri Lanka despite any promotion at all.


A very vital obstacle in getting American tourists to Sri Lanka was highlighted at this gathering: regarding the bottlenecks that seem to prevent greater tourist traffic from the United States. While it was noted that there were sufficient connections from Europe and Far East to Sri Lanka, the absence of ready connections to and from the U.S. was a major impediment affecting American travelers choosing Sri Lanka as a destination.


Ambassador Goonetilleke noted that the embassy was currently engaged in an exercise to build a network of Sri Lanka related interest groups living throughout in the U.S. and was hopeful that this endeavor could also support carrying the message outside the major cities in the United States.


It was revealed that the Sri Lanka Tourist Board was planning to host an important travel event in New York this year and also to fly a group of tour operators to Sri Lanka to provide a first hand experience of the variety of activity and excellent facilities available to the American traveler.


President of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society and travel consultant Ravi Corea presented a ‘virtual tour’ of a possible Sri Lanka package tour that they intended marketing to the American traveler.


_____________________________________________________________________________________


 



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-- Edited by karatecatman at 18:59, 2006-06-05

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http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=323463604&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=7


14 June 2006 18:23:42




SriLankan Airlines launches new aviation training centre



 


June 14 (LBO) - National carrier SriLankan Airlines launched an International Aviation Academy on Wednesday, to meet demand by industry for airline relates skills.





The academy will be a professional skills training facility, accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), City and Guilds and Edexcel International.

“The IAA will cater to the increasing demand for airline industry specific training and mid-career training by local and international airlines,” SriLankan Airlines said in a statement on Wednesday.

The IAA is also in talks with Sri Lankan Universities to obtain accreditation for its programmes at the Post-graduate Diploma level.

"It will supplement Sri Lanka 's technical and vocational education system, opening up new opportunities to the youngsters and give them a grounding in international service standards," Sunil Dissanayake, Head of Human Resource at SriLankan, said.

“A number of international organisations are already talking to us to send their staff for training and to recruit candidates who obtain IAA qualifications. This is a major boost for the industry and for the country.”

Over 100 representatives of the Sri Lanka Association for Inbound Tour Operators and the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka have gone through training with IAA already.





Based in Katunayake, the IAA will train students in skills such as Airline Ticketing and Sales, Cabin Crew Training, Air Cargo Skills and Procedures, Flight Dispatch Programmes and Airline Management, among others.

Course range from three days to 16 weeks and cater to both existing airline staff as well as young adults wanting an entry into the airline industry.

All programmes also have an on the job component. The faculty also retains over 20 visiting facilitators both from Sri Lanka and abroad.

The IAA will also launch an e-learning wing towards the end of the year.



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The new media report in the Srilankan website shows that SrlLankan is planning to fly to Ahmedabad and Mangalore next!!!!!


Sri Lankan's Indian destinations are:


Chennai (Madras)
Trichy
Trivandrum
Mumbai (Bombay)
Delhi
Bangalore
Kochi (Cochin)
Hyderabad
BodhGaya
Kozihkode (Calicut)
Coimbatore (cargo services) ---- I have seen it being operated with a Russian aircraft.
Goa 


New cities being considered in India for next year include Ahmedabad and Mangalore.


On the contrary, Air India's domestic destinations are:


Ahmedabad
Amritsar
Bangalore
Madras
Delhi
Goa
Hyderabad
Cochin
Calcutta
Calicut
Lucknow
Bombay
Trivandrum


With Air India Express it is:


Mangalore (still to be launched), Chennai, Trichy, Calicut, Cochin, Trivandrum. 


In fact the AIX strategy was to break SriLankan's dominance gradually. But UL seems to be having a great run. Together with Emirates (UL's strategic partner), UL has India in a tight hold and lifting chunks of passenger traffic through Colombo.


Is India sleeping? Any comments?


 


 



 



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Srilankan airlines launches competitive fares for tri nation series
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www.uninews.com


Srilankan airlines launches competitive fares for tri nation series


Mumbai, August 2 (UNI)


SriLankan Airlines brings an opportunity for the die-hard cricket fans to come together and indulge in their passion for cricket at competitive fares by catching all the action as it happens live.


SriLankan Airlines, the largest international carrier in India, is offering fares as a part of its ‘‘Shopover’’ Promotion at a mere Rs 14,000 exclusive of taxes.


The Shopover promotion by SriLankan Airlines includes return air tickets to Colombo, accommodation in star-class hotels on the Indian Ocean Island, discounts from leading department stores in Sri Lanka, and air tickets to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Beijing and Male, a release issued by airlines said.


As a part of the ‘‘Shopover promotions’’ travellers can choose to go on from Colombo to one of five exotic Asian cities, ranging from the pristine beaches of the Maldives; to shopping, sightseeing and nightlife in Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur; or a sightseeing vacation in exotic China or they can simply enjoy a shopping holiday in Colombo, and also experience the beaches, culture, history, and many other aspects that have earned Sri Lanka the name of Paradise.


The packages are available from Mumbai and are effective immediately till the August 31 with outbound travel till the September 15 . Packages to Colombo include two nights and three days in the Sri Lankan capital on bed & breakfast basis at some of the finest hotels on the island’s west coast.


Those purchasing tickets from Mumbai can obtain a ticket from Colombo to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore for free! Those from Mumbai can obtain a ticket from Colombo to Male for Indian rupees 4,300 or Beijing for 8,800.


‘‘A fantastic product combined with an extensive promotion will enable the holiday makers to enjoy this experience. We have worked at various aspects of holidaying and tried to cater to them’’ said Seneka Fernando, Regional, Manager - Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indian Subcontinent.



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SriLankan Airlines offers Indian, Pakistan carriers' third party maintenance checks
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http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=1096100455&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=7
31 August 2006 17:27:46
SriLankan Airlines offers Indian, Pakistan carriers' third party maintenance checks
 
 
Aug 31, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines is in talks with regional carriers from India, Pakistan and the Middle East to carry out third party maintenance checks on aircraft, top airline officials said.
 
The national carrier just successfully completed a multiple C check for an Emirates A330-200 aircraft, called the 4C5Y, usually carried out every five years.


The maintenance check, which involved all aspects of the aircraft like the airframe, avionics, engines, cabins and painting as well as other modifications, was the first carried out by SriLankan for another carrier.


"We have got interest for A320 C checks from airlines such as Airblue (Pakistan), Air Deccan (India), Kingfisher (India), Vietnam Airlines and a few start up airlines in the region," D A G Jayasuriya, Senior Manager Aircraft Engineering at SriLankan told LBO in an email interview.


"Also we expect there will be more A330/ A340, 4C checks from Emirates as well." Emirates own a 43.6 percent stake in SriLankan, alongside the government.


Aircraft maintenance checks are periodically done on all planes after a certain amount of time and usage.


Called A, B, C and D checks by airlines, A and B checks are lighter checks carried out every month or every few months. C and D are heavier checks that put aircraft out of service for a while.


Initial plans are to carry out two heavy 4-C checks and about four light C-checks in the first year of offering third party maintenance services, Jayasuriya said.


The airline can also offer A-check maintenance on Airbus A320, A330 and A340 aircraft, in addition to the checks done on SriLankan's own fleet of 14 Airbus aircraft.


"Based on market development we can ramp up our services in time to come. We can offer significantly greater number of A-checks to third parties," Jayasuriya said.


A C-check like the one done on Emirates could cost in the region of 0.9 to 1.2 million dollars.


"We feel our offering is very competitive and results in considerable savings to the customer airline, compared to offers from other parties in the region (such as Gamco Abu Dhabi or Haeco, Hong Kong)."


With profit margins in the region of 10-12 percent, the airline says it expects its third party maintenance services to be a significant contributor to airline revenues in the future.


"Our strategy is for SriLankan Engineering to provide maintenance services to airlines throughout Asia and beyond. Our aim is to develop this into a significant stream of additional revenue for the company, as well as being a major foreign exchange earner for the country," Peter Hill, SriLankans CEO said in a statement.
 
SriLankan presently operates to 49 destinations in 28 countries.
 



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http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=536377582&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=7
Flight Plan      
16 September 2006 15:13:56
SriLankan Airlines mulls future strategy as Emirates contract runs out
 
 
SINGAPORE, September 16, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines plans to take ownership of three aircraft currently under lease and extend the lifespan on two others that come up for renewal next year, its chief financial officer said Saturday.
 
“We are in the last stages of paying up the lease on three aircraft, with two A340s coming into our ownership in October. Another A340 will be paid for in full next March,” Vipula Gunatilleka told LBO in an interview here.


The airline, which is 43.63 percent owned by Dubai’s Emirates, has a fleet comprising:
• Five Airbus A340s
• Four Airbus A330-200
• Five Airbus A320-200
• Two Antonov AN12F freighters
• Two Turbo Otters


The national carrier is also process of fine tuning its business plans for the coming year, to hedge against future oil spikes and other ongoing activities including the lease on two A320s that run out next February.


Much of the plans, however, depend on the government’s decision to extend Emirates’ contract when it runs out in 2008.


Both sides have had few rounds of discussions, with nothing firmed up yet. With a 51.05 percent equity stake, the government is not too keen that the national carrier enters into big business deals until talks on a technical partner are ironed out.


However, SriLankan has secured Board consent to extend the lease on the two A320s.


“The business does not end in 2008, the airline has to run….so we are in the process of negotiating terms to extend the lease for about two years, nothing’s finalized yet,” Gunatilleka said.


In the meantime, SriLankan is kept busy, looking at ways to be lean, mean and poised to remain profitable amidst historically high oil prices.


“We hedge around 76 percent of our fuel purchase, about 9.6 million gallons each month, through forward contracts. Despite that, we spent 92 million dollars on fuel from April-Aug this year, which is about 23 million dollars more than the same period last year.”


Jet fuel, he says, has eased up a bit lately, as crude prices cool off.


Gunatilleka laments that jet fuel has hit 2.20 dollars per gallon now, surpassing 1.78 dollars a gallon, they anticipated for this financial year.


“Prices have settled down a bit now, but it could go up to 2.50 dollars or even more, it all depends on no supply disruptions and no war like situation in the Middle East.”


A decision to team up with Emirates and secure discounts on ground handling, catering, insurance, aircraft financing, fuel hedging, code sharing and so forth, has trimmed about 3-4 percent off SriLankan’s costs.


Other cost savings, Gunatilleka says is coming from discarding non value added items like excess paper, operational manuals and switching to lightweight seat covers.


“A heavy plane drinks up a lot of fuel, and we constantly look for ways to reduce unnecessary weight.”


Passenger volumes have not been too great either, with SriLankan flying around 1.3 million people – up six percent – from April to August.


“We have seen a growth from Indian subcontinent, about 320,000 passengers, followed by the Far East around 290,000. Europe has dropped one percent to 175,000 mainly due renewed violence hitting headlines again.”


- Mel Gunasekera
 



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Sri Lanka seeks more flights to India
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www.uninews.com


 Sri Lanka seeks more flights to India


Colombo, Oct 9 (UNI)


Sri Lanka has asked for access to more airlines apart from flag carrier Sri Lankan Airways to fly to Indian metropolitan cities as officials from the two countries began trade talks today. ‘‘We want more access to fly to metropolitan cities in India,’’ Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Director General H M C Nimalsiri said as the two-day talks started.


Present laws allow a registered Sri Lankan carrier to fly to Indian metropolis like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore. But all routes on the lucrative metropolitan sector have been taken up by flag carrier ’Sri Lankan Airlines’. It is one of the largest foreign carriers flying into India, touching down on top destinations like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Trichy, Calicut, Trivandrum, and Kochi.


Colombo, however, is in the process of selecting three domestic carriers, possibly a budget carrier, to operate alongside with Sri Lankan Airlines and Sri Lankan aviation industry is lobbying for a greater access into the Indian market.


India has no limits on foreign carriers flying into cities earmarked as tourist destinations. Similarly, Sri Lanka also has no limits for Indian carriers, which, despite having some 59 bilateral air agreements, only makes use of about 19 of them. Colombo is likely to benefit more from an open skies agreement with New Delhi as compared to its single airport.



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SriLankan Airlines ripe for expansion, scouts for new planes to beef up capacity


Oct 13, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines is ripe for expansion and is looking for about 11 new planes to beef up airline seat capacity, says Tim Clark, Managing Director of SriLankan.


Dubai based Emirates Airline owns a 43.63 percent stake in Sri Lanka’s national carrier, the Sri Lankan government owns 51.05 percent and employees have a 5.32 percent share.

"SriLankan is still making money despite the violence problems. I think they are right for fleet expansion. They need about 25 planes. We are looking at 777-300s or A340s," Clark, who is also President of Emirates, told Dow Jones news wires.

SriLankan currently has about 14 aircraft, but has already announced plans to take ownership of three aircraft that are currently under lease and extend the lifespan on two others when they come up for renewal this year.

The airline will take over two A340’s in October this year on making a final lease payment, with another A340 to be paid up in full by March next year.

Management of the airline however reverts to the Sri Lankan government in March 2008, with expansion plans hinging on the government’s decision to extend Emirates contract when it runs out.

The two sides have had few rounds of talks, with the government not keen that Emirates enters into large business deals until talks on a technical partner are ironed out.

However, Clark said that he was not aware if the order for new planes would be placed before then.

The flag carrier has also just got increased flight frequencies to top Indian cities Mumbai and Bangalore, as well as access into two new tourist cities Pune and Coimbatore.

SriLankan is currently the island’s only designated carrier and is likely to get the rights to fly the extra flights into India, having already used up available slots to top metropolitan cities like Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Bangalore.

SriLankan Airlines is also currently the largest airline operating into India with 86 flights a week. The airline flies to 49 destinations in 28 countries.

Passenger numbers on SriLankan showed a small six percent growth in the first four months of the 2006-2007 year, topping million passengers, with most of the traffic from regional markets.

From April to August this year, the Indian subcontinent saw passenger numbers grow to around 320,000 passengers, followed by 290,000 from the Far East.

Arrivals from Europe dropped by around one percent to 175,000 for the same period, as renewed violence between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels, made headlines.

However, a co-operation pact between the Sri Lankan government and the main opposition political party, together with possible peace talks at the end of October, is expected to shore up tourist arrivals this winter season.


SriLankan Airline's net profits as at end March this year, rose to 797.93 million rupees over 7.66 million rupees, while group net profit jumped 50 percent to just over two billion rupees


http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=824800268&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=7



-- Edited by vik at 12:45, 2006-10-14

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India gave Sri Lanka seven flights a week in addition to the existing seven, to top metropolitan city Mumbai immediately and to Bangalore from 2008.

In addition, Sri Lanka also got access to two additional cities Pune and Coimbatore, in a recent round of bilateral air service negotiations.


The airline is also flying to Goa at the end of October. A lack of aircraft capacity however, could restrict expansion beyond Mumbai for the moment at least.

"We are interested in flying to Pune, Coimbatore and also Mangalore but the airports there are not ready for wide body aircraft at the moment and we also need to get some more planes," Brown said.


SriLankan needs about 11 new planes to beef up capacity expansion, Tim Clark, the airline’s Managing Director recently said, to add to the current fleet of 14.


http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=1014450867&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=7


 


 



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I think they need to stop the fighting before any expansion.
I wonder how people feel safe to fly through CMB.

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VOTV wrote:

I think they need to stop the fighting before any expansion.
I wonder how people feel safe to fly through CMB.


 



Tourism campaign in India boosts Indian visits to the island


Oct 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has seen a 22 percent jump in Indian visitors during a six months promotional campaign across top metro cities India, a local industry group said Thursday.


The Sri Lanka - Small Island, Big Trip campaign ran from March to August this year across Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, brining in an extra 10,000 visitors over the same period last year.

The increased Indian traffic also resulted in additional earnings of 600 million rupees, the Tourism Cluster – a grouping of private sector tourism associations and firms and The Competitiveness Program (TCP) in Sri Lanka said.

The 1.4 million dollar campaign, funded by the US Agency for International Development, were largely print advertisements and short clips broadcasted through Indian television channels as well as cable TV.

The campaign was developed by advertising agency J Walter Thompson.

"Popular and professional reaction to the campaign has been very positive. It has helped boost and reposition the image of Sri Lanka in the minds of Indian viewers and travelers. It has also helped support the continued growth in Indian arrivals to Sri Lanka," the Tourism Cluster said.

The campaign was launched to try and bolster the local industry that was hit by the tsunami in December 2004 and try to turn around low occupancies in hotels following cancellations.

India is the island’s largest tourist market and Indians are among the top spenders in the country, visiting Sri Lanka for shopping as well as cultural and nature tourism.

Arrivals from India have also been steadily rising, despite a fresh wave of violence since December last year between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels that have seen European tourist arrivals fall.

The government has been trying to attract up to 600,000 tourists this year and is counting on peace talks and promotions to keep visitors, especially from the region, coming in.



http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=1905407453&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=12



-- Edited by vik at 08:38, 2006-10-21

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SriLankan's 'fly Pune' plan on hold

PUNE: With the Lohegaon airport barely offering any scope for expansion, the city is losing out on the opportunity of making the most of international airliners' eagerness to operate flights to Pune.

SriLankan Airlines is one such case in point. Following the recent round of Indo-Lankan bilateral air services negotiations, the designated carrier of the island nation has marked Coimbatore and Pune as two additional destinations for operating flights to India.

"We have received reciprocal rights for operating flights to these two cities, but I won't hazard a comment right now as to when the service begins," Dimuthu Tennekoon, country manager, SriLankan Airlines, told TOI on Wednesday.

"Our immediate priority is Goa, where we are starting two flights a week from October 30. We will later finalise the feasibility study and evaluation for other destinations, including Pune,"he said.

With 90 flights a week, SriLankan is the single largest foreign airliner operating into India. However, Tennekoon's guarded approach vis-a-vis flights to Pune stems out of concerns aired by Sri-Lankan's top bosses about both Coimbatore and Pune airports' under-preparedness for landing a wide-body aircraft.

Pune's existing civil airport is controlled by the Indian Air Force (IAF) by virtue of being a part of the strategically-vital air force base at Lohegaon. As of now, the airport is handling two international flights to Singapore and Dubai.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/154260.cms


 



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Sri Lankan Airlines to operate bigger aircraft on Bangalore-Colombo sector

BANGALORE: Sri Lankan Airlines is going in for fleet expansion on the Bangalore-Colombo sector from November 1.

That would help the airline to get more tourists flying in from Bangalore to Sri Lanka.

The airline is going in for bigger aircraft, A330 and A340, which can carry 287 and 302 passengers respectively, Sri Lankan Airlines, Acting Sales Manager Amitabh Anthony Pillai told this website's newspaper.

At present, the airline operates an A320 with 114 seats. The bigger aircraft would increase the carrying capacity by over 100 percent and that would also mean reduced fares, he said. The fares are likely to come down by nearly Rs 4,000, at Rs 8,000 to Rs 8,500 for return ticket to
Bangalore-Colombo.

The carrier flies seven days a week from Bangalore to many internationaldestinations via Colombo.

It serves another 14 domestic destinations in Sri Lanka and is the largestforeign carrier operating to India, with 85 weekly flights to 9 destinations.

Sri Lankan now serves 49 destinations in 28 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Far East, and Australia. The fleet expansion, he said, was aimed at targeting large number of weekend tourists from Bangalore.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120061023001928


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Dabolim: SriLankan Airlines Flight from Colombo Makes Maiden Landing


Dabolim, Goa, Oct 30: SriLankan Airlines have finally made it to Goa and its 10th destination in India.


SriLankan Airlines landed at Dabolim Airport in Goa on Monday, October 30 at 7.30 am, making Goa its 10th destination in the country. The flight will be operating between Colombo and Goa and back, with convenient connection flights to the Middle East.


The duration of the flight between Dabolim and Colombo will be two hours.





The SriLankan Airlines plane after landing at the Dabolim Airport in Goa.



The plane's crew is seen alighting



Passengers are seen getting down after landing on the Dabolim Airport this morning.


The crew and the passengers were accorded a warm welcome received by Goa chief minister Pratap Singh Rane along with the MD of Goa Tourism Development Corporation Fatima D'sa and other officials of the Tourism Department.



Chief minister Rane is seen cutting the inaugural ribbon after receiving the crew and the passengers. Also seen is the Sri Lankan High Commissioner C R Jayasinghe.



A traditional welcome



The captain, and a view of passengers seen getting in



The SriLankan air hostess zone



Passengers are seen getting in, and a view of the aircraft


From the Sri Lankan side the crew was accompanied by Sri Lankan high commissioner C R Jayasinghe along with head of the worldwide passenger sale Manoj Gunawardane with head of corporate sales Chandan D'Silva.


Chief Minister Rane, in his inaugural speech, invited the the Sri Lankans to strengthen the cultural bond between the two culturally rich places upon sending performing artistes from Goa to Sri Lanka and vice versa.


The Sri Lankan high commissioner accepted the offer and promised to improve on the cultural relationship and also build up a strong chain in the tourism sector. During the press conference many tourist package schemes were introduced. 


http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=27370&n_tit=Dabolim%3A%20SriLankan%20Airlines%20Flight%20from%20Colombo%20Makes%20Maiden%20Landing


 



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SriLankan Airlines launch services to Goa and sets sights on 100 flights per week


“The launch of services to Goa is an important element in our business strategy throughout India. We have positioned Colombo as the Gateway to South Asia, and we are constantly seeking to expand our activities in India. Sri Lanka has been given permission to add another 7 frequencies to Mumbai and we are hopeful of starting double daily services in the near future. We are definitely on target towards launching 100 flights per week in either direction” said Barry Brown, Chief Commercial Officer at SriLankan.


The airline is continuously increasing the number of frequencies to Indian cities. It also increases capacity by deploying wide-bodied aircraft as the quantum of passengers grows. Capacity to Bangalore and Calicut has been increased starting this winter by rotating existing A320 flights with the larger A330s.


SriLankan’s global network of 51 destinations (services to Jeddah begin in November 2006), supported by its strategic partner Emirates, gives it the ability to offer the option of flying SriLankan to travellers from cities ranging from New York to London, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney.


Goa will initially have two flights per week, on Mondays and Saturdays, with an A320 aircraft. Flying time is approximately two hours’ duration, departing Colombo at 0530 and arrives in Goa at 0730. Return flights leave Goa at 0830 and touch down in Colombo at 1030.


FULL STORY:


http://www.agencyfaqs.com/news/company_news/Corporate/10378.html 



-- Edited by vik at 08:18, 2006-11-01

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I dont get the "Pune cant handle widebody logic". Its not jsut a problem of infrastructure: the airport IS being upgraded and the rwy i sbeing extended to 9500 feet. The problem is traffic. Traffic-wise PNQ cannot support widebody-ops and certainly not to CMB! The only routes which can support a widebody ex-PNQ with decent yields are KUL/SIN and BLR.


If goa is gonna be an A32S station  then so can PNQ!!


One problem with PNQ is that takeoff slots in the morning and evening times are fully maxed out. But a late night arrival, dawn departure can work. Even from a tourist perspective, this is perfect! I save on one nights hotel acco right?


 



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COUGAR wrote:


Traffic-wise PNQ cannot support widebody-ops and certainly not to CMB! The only routes which can support a widebody ex-PNQ with decent yields are KUL/SIN and BLR.


If goa is gonna be an A32S station  then so can PNQ!!



Could you please explain this further? (honest question). Do you mean that there would not be not enough passengers



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SriLankan boosts flights to Kuwait in strategic push


By Sajeev K Peter


Staff Writer


KUWAIT: SriLankan Airlines has strengthened its frequencies to Kuwait to 10 scheduled flights a week from Oct 31 in a strategic push to enhance its presence in the Middle East. Addressing journalists here yesterday, Lal Perera, SriLankan Airlines Country Manager (Kuwait, Lebanon and Jordan), said the additional two morning flights to Dubai and Colombo will operate on every Tuesday and Thursday.


Perera, who arrived in Kuwait on SriLankan's first morning flight carrying 137 passengers from Colombo, said the maiden operation had been successful. "The introduction of these morning departures gives more attraction to business passengers who are travelling to Dubai. These are in addition to our daily evening departures," he said.


The morning flight arrives in Kuwait at 6.05am and leaves Kuwait at 7.15am, giving convenient connections to all SriLankan's Indian destinations (Chennai, Cochin, Calicut, Trivandrum, Trichy, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bombay, Delhi and Goa) and Fareast (Bangkok, Kula Lumpur, Beijing, Tokyo) and the Maldives.


"The additional flights to Kuwait is part of a new Middle East route plan that is expected to bolster SriLankan Airlines services to Indian and Far Eastern destinations from Colombo. We are regularly reviewing our routes to see how we can best serve our passengers and adding new routes when the need arises," he explained.


SriLankan Airlines will start its new operation into Jeddah from December, catering largely to the Haj pilgrims. Jeddah will be SriLankan Airlines' ninth destination in the Middle East and the 51st destination in its worldwide network.


SriLankan will also fly twice a week directly to Doha, with two more scheduled services via Bahrain. The new schedule is expected to push up the carrier's services into the Middle East to about 45 flights per week and is designed to conveniently connect passengers flying to Maldives, India and the Far East."We expect our new schedule to capture further growth and give customers the best connections between the Middle East and Asia," Perera claimed.


SriLankan Airlines is the largest foreign carrier into India, with about 90 flights a week to ten destinations, including the beach state of Goa in the west coast that started operations from October 29. "The addition of Goa gives SriLankan Airlines the unique advantage of being the only airline to connect passengers with South Asia's best beach destinations, with regular flights to Colombo, the Maldives, Goa and Kerala," he added.


Asked how far the low-cost airlines have cut into the market of SriLankan Airlines, Perera admitted that the budget carriers had succeeded in inducing the market. "But the regional market has grown phenomenally in the last few years. And with the entry of more and more carriers into the skies, a new perception has been created that we have a bigger market to share," he said. He said that the open sky policy adopted by the Kuwait government had helped generate a healthy competition in the aviation sector.


Lalith Peiris, sales manager Kuwait, said that SriLankan Airlines' frequent flyer programme, Skywards, is offering 50 per cent off for skywards members travelling to Goa from October 30 to December 10, 2006. The offer is valid for both business and economy class passengers, he informed.


SriLankan Airlines Station Manager Lalithra Pallegamgoda and Al-Madina Travel GSA, General Manager Ashraf Gad were also present at the press conference. The Sri Lankan government has a controlling 51 per cent stake in SriLankan Airlines while Emirates holds about 40 per cent stake. The staff members of the airline own the remaining 9 per cent.


http://www.kuwaittimes.net/business.asp?dismode=article&artid=786322899



-- Edited by vik at 12:55, 2006-11-01

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SriLankan Airlines Cargo launches regional charter service


02 November 2006 17:14:48


Nov 01 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines said Thursday that it would launch a regional charter service carrying cargo to South Asia, even reaching destinations not connected by scheduled flights.


SriLankan Cargo currently offers scheduled services to 50 destinations in 28 countries, serviced by dedicated freighters and 14 mainline Airbus Aircraft.


With the new service, businesses can now fly their cargo to any destination across South Asia, the airline said in a statement on Thursday, even points not connected by regular scheduled services on short notice.

“While scheduled services give businesses a regular connection to key destinations around the world, the globalisation and the fast pace of businesses sometimes demands collection and delivery to remote locations,” Nalin Rodrigo, Head of SriLankan Cargo said.

All landing clearances would be obtained by SriLankan Cargo. The airline’s cargo arm is the largest foreign carrier into India and the Maldives with over 100 weekly flights.

In India alone SriLankan cargo operates regular schedules to 10 destinations.

“The service also allows businesses to leverage the benefit of a single service provider, avoiding possible delays and losses caused by breaking up the consignments and the different routes taken by each operator.”

SriLankan Cargo with its own warehousing facilities in Colombo and partnerships with leading air cargo handlers in all the markets it operates.


Cargo operations are about 13 percent of the airline’s revenue. SriLankan Cargo posted earnings of 8.15 billion rupees in the 2005-06 financial year, a 9.64 percent increase on the year before.


http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=1118230874&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=7



-- Edited by vik at 20:45, 2006-11-02

-- Edited by vik at 20:45, 2006-11-02

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