By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): SriLankan Airlines is all set to expand its operations in Kerala a major state in India. The airline is likely to add one more flight to Thiruvananthapuram during the coming winter schedule.
At present, the airline operates six flights a week from Thiruvananthapuram and 10 flights from Kochi. The airline is also looking forward to starting service from Kozhikode airport based on the availability of aircraft.
V. Ravindran, the national carrier’s regional manager of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, told TNIE that SriLankan Airlines is on an expansion drive and will start more flights to various destinations in India.
This was confirmed by SriLankan Airlines high official here in Colombo stating that “Kerala is one of the Indian states where a highest number of their travelers has chosen to travel frequently as an attractive destination.
Sri Lanka has cheaper hotels and accommodation facilities. Compared to other countries, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka has better destinations with cheaper packages.
So we are getting frequent passengers from Kerala. That is why we decided to expand our operations in Kerala. As an immediate plan, we will start one more service from Thiruvananthapuram during the winter schedule,” Ravindran said.
He pointed out that the business prospects of the Vizhinjam port will be immense, as it will enhance the connectivity of air cargo between Colombo and Thiruvananthapuram in the future.
There has been a steep rise in passengers from India to Sri Lanka in the past seven months. It indicates that Sri Lanka has become a preferred tourist destination for people from India, especially from Kerala, Ravindran added.
As part of increasing air connectivity from Thiruvananthapuram to Colombo, the SriLankan airlines have appointed Sandun Jayasinghe as an area manager in Thiruvananthapuram.
Ravindran also said that the Sri Lankan government is in talks with many private airlines, including Tata, Adani, and Emirates, to privatise the airline.
The crisis in Sri Lanka last year prompted the airlines to depend on Thiruvananthapuram airport for refuelling purposes and for technical landings. Ravindran said that things are getting normal in Sri Lanka, and hence, the business of the airline is also picking up.
Launched in 1979, SriLankan Airlines is currently expanding and further diversifying its wide range of products and services to drive the country’s ongoing boom in tourism and economy.
The airline’s hub is located at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, providing convenient connections to its global route network of 112 destinations in 58 countries.
SriLankan Airlines has a global workforce of approximately 6,000 employees based in Sri Lanka and abroad.
