TravTalk India Online Magazine
Currently flying to 14 Indian destinations, SriLankan Airlines now aims to maximise capacity on all routes in the country, says Udeni Perera, the airline ’s Manager—Western India.
TT Bureau
SriLankan Airlines, the island country’s flag carrier is experiencing handsome business from the Indian market and is looking to do well as per projected plans in the country. Satisfied with the airlines’ business from India, Udeni Perera, Manager—Western India, SriLankan Airlines says, “So far, 2018 is looking very good for us. In the current quarter, we are doing well as per our projected plans. We have achieved our targets above the expected levels and are optimistic for an even more profitable second quarter.”
Emphasising on the importance of Colombo as an ideal transit hub for passengers, Perera highlights three major reasons. “The distance is ideal as Colombo is the nearest hub to India and SriLankan Airlines has connections to far east Australia, China and the Middle East through Colombo, thereby saving a lot of transit time. Secondly, we also have very good airport which can facilitate our passengers in smooth transfer to their destinations. Thirdly, we have the most attractive fares which give us a significant advantage over others.”
With 14 destinations in India, we have now already added new aircraft to our fleets viz a viz Airbus A320 and A321 Neo which are in operation to the country
“We are maintaining 80 to 85 per cent cabin factor average out of India to Colombo. We are getting 30 to 40 per cent passengers transiting through the Colombo hub to various destinations like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Seychelles and Melbourne. We also get passengers to Dhaka, Jakarta and China via Colombo,” he added.
Perera mentioned that the most profitable routes from India are Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. He explained, “All other stations are doing well but these routes are performing exceptionally well. We were on our route expansion spree last year in July. We are currently flying to 14 destinations in India and now aim to maximise the capacity on all routes in the country. We have already added new aircraft to our fleets viz a viz Airbus A320 and A321 Neo which are in operation to India.”
Briefing about the airline’s connectivity to Maldives, Perera says, “Everyday, we have three flights to the Maldives. Out of these, the 7:10 am flight is more popular as passengers can reach the destination in the morning and get to spend an entire day there.”
On the company’s promotions in India, Perera says that the airline has planned a number of events and activities in India. “We are promoting SriLankan Airlines in India along with SriLankan Tourism Promotion Department. Recently, we did a few roadshows in Chandigarh and Jaipur along with a travel fare in Hyderabad.” Perera adds.
