SriLankan Airlines is set to resume flights to Visakhapatnam, India, from its hub in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Visakhapatnam is the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh. The airline had operated this flight route in the past, flying for over a year beginning in 2017. However, this flight was later stopped due to a restructuring.
SriLankan Airlines global restructuring plan
The airline says the destination of Visakhapatnam is part of its global restructuring plan to tap the tourism potential in South India and Sri Lanka. Chnthaka Perera, SriLankan Airlines manager, says,
“We are resuming the Visakhapatnam-Colombo air services. In South India, our next destination is Visakhapatnam. Kolkata and Visakhapatnam have been listed in the global restructuring plan of our air services.”
The connection looks to build on SriLankan Airlines’ new campaign, titled Dil Full of Sri Lanka. This plan offers special holiday packages for Indian customers. The campaign presents a range of different activities and experiences that appeal to all types of customers in varying price brackets.
Perera spoke about the Dil Full of Sri Lanka campaign, saying,
“Our global campaign, ‘Dil Full of Sri Lanka’, is gaining momentum and attracting tourists for destination weddings and cultural tourism.”
Positive economic forecast
The Visakhapatnam-Colombo route is being offered as the economy is seemingly back on track. Indian tourists account for numerous SriLankan Airlines’ travelers. Perera mentioned this, stating:
“Our economy is now back on track. Religious tourism, including places associated with Hindu mythology, Buddhist sites, and wedding destinations in Sri Lanka are attracting more tourists from India.”
The airline looks to recover from the declining tourism brought upon from the COVID pandemic. SriLankan Airlines is hopeful for a resurgence in travel demand and expects higher tourism numbers in 2023. In November 2022, Ashok Pathirage, the airline’s chairman, spoke about a potential recovery in 2023. He said,
“Network-wise, we are in the process of restoring our capacity to pre-pandemic levels and plan to add more capacity once our fleet is strengthened. We also anticipate China to reopen for commercial aviation next year and look forward to reestablishing our services to the fullest for the Chinese market. Our operations to India will also be increased in 2023.”
The airline remains the largest foreign airline operating in India, offering services to 14 different destinations. The airline operates services to 42 different cities in 20 different countries. SriLankan Airlines participates in oneworld, which allows the airline to offer its passengers service to over 1,000 cities in 160 different countries.
SriLankan Airlines also code shares with other airlines such as Air Canada, Air India, Etihad airways, Qatar Airways, and several others. The airline also has an interline agreement set up with Pakistan International Airlines.
Current SriLankan Airlines fleet
SriLankan Airlines currently has 24 aircraft in its fleet, all Airbus planes. The airline operates 12 Airbus A330 planes in two variants and operates an assortment of Airbus A320 and A321 planes as well.
In December, it was reported that the airline was trying to lease five additional A320s and five more A330s as well.
Source: Ada Derana