SriLankan Airlines has further consolidated its stronghold in the south Indian market with its recent announcement of commencing non-stop flights from Colombo to Coimbatore, Vishakhapatnam and Hyderabad. These flights are slated to operate four times a week, for each of the three destinations, and takes the total operational tally of the airline in India to 126 aircrafts per week connecting 14 cities with the Island nation – making it the largest foreign airline operation in the country. The airline has deployed Airbus A-320 neo and A-321 neo to ensure top-notch flying and in-flight entertainment experience.
The Sri Lankan flag-carrier has been steadily expanding its operations in India and, now, has non-stop connectivity to destinations including Chennai, Trichy, Trivandrum, Mumbai, New Delhi, Madurai, Kochi, Bengaluru and Kolkata, beside bolstering the Buddhist connect with flights to Gaya and Varanasi. While its southern connect has remained enviable, the airline has been exploring the possibility of operating a double-daily out of Delhi to boost its presence in the northern territory. Now that it has further cemented its footprints in the south, it is expected that the airline will train its attention on the northern market in India.
Commenting on the launch, SriLankan Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Siva Ramachandran noted that travellers to and from Visakhapatnam could now enjoy SriLankan award winning hospitality onboard. “This new destination addition to our network indeed reflects SriLankan Airlines commitment in serving Asian region offering travellers seamless connectivity on board of our brand new A320 neo and A321 neo aircraft,” he said.
This development should have positive ramification on air-connectivity to these southern destinations, given the airline’s ability to leverage its global network, being a member of Oneworld Alliance. Also, it bodes well for the larger tourism industry, as connecting these important destinations add muscle to bilateral tourism numbers.
