SriLankan Airlines has established its first-ever interline partnership with Virgin Australia, a move aimed at expanding its network in Australia and providing customers with extensive connectivity options. This partnership allows passengers to incorporate select Virgin Australia domestic and international connections into their SriLankan Airlines bookings, streamlining multi-airline itineraries under a single ticket.
Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution at SriLankan Airlines, emphasized the significance of this partnership, particularly for the sizable Sri Lankan diaspora in Australia. He noted that the Australian routes are popular year-round, especially for those visiting friends and family or pursuing higher education. This collaboration enhances connectivity and offers benefits to valued customers.
SriLankan Airlines presently operates daily flights from Colombo to Melbourne and thrice-weekly flights from Colombo to Sydney. Through this partnership, passengers traveling to Melbourne or Sydney with SriLankan Airlines can seamlessly connect to various Australian cities, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Cairns, Darwin, Hobart, Hamilton Island, Launceston, Gold Coast, and Perth with Virgin Australia. Additionally, travelers have the option to continue their journey beyond Australia to New Zealand, Samoa, and Fiji.
This partnership is advantageous for Sri Lankan and Indian Australians residing in these cities, as they can now book a single SriLankan Airlines ticket for flights to Sri Lanka or India. Passengers can enjoy a seamless experience with a single check-in, including baggage, at the departure airport, bypassing transit check-in queues.
The introduction of interline flight options with Virgin Australia enhances accessibility to Sri Lanka for Australian outbound tourists, contributing to the growth of leisure travel from Australia to Sri Lanka. It also offers convenient connections for SriLankan Airlines passengers traveling to Australia via Colombo from the Maldives, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Since resuming flights to Melbourne in October 2017 and Sydney in June 2020, nearly a million passengers have chosen SriLankan Airlines for their journeys to Australia. This new partnership aims to further elevate SriLankan Airlines’ service in the Australian market.
