SriLankan Airlines to operate more services in India

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI, JULY 8. Flying to 35 destinations in 26 countries across Europe, West Asia, and Asia, the rechristened SriLankan Airlines (formerly Air Lanka) is keen on opening up to more Indian points.

``We are keen to introduce direct operations to Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kochi as part of our efforts to corner more market share in Indian operations,'' said Mr. Peter M. Hill, Chief Executive Officer, SriLankan Airlines.

In an interview to The Hindu, Mr. Hill said, currently the airline was offering 29 services a week to the sub-continent covering New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchi, Karachi and Dhaka. With the airline proposing to add one more service to Chennai on Mondays, the number of services will rise to 30 a week.

Mr. Hill, who was in Tiruchi recently to open a refurbished ticketing office of the airlines, said from a small beginning with two leased Boeing-707s in 1979, the airline today had an all-Airbus fleet comprising four A-340s, six A-330s, and two A- 320s.

The airline had embarked on a dynamic business plan which provided for the induction of six new A-330s, while simultaneously phasing out the Tristar jets, giving the airline the superior advantage of a modern all Airbus-fleet.

``We also plan to develop Colombo as an important hub linking East and West and Northern and Southern hemispheres,'' Mr. Hill said, adding that an ambitious Information Technology programme was in place, designed to ensure that the airline was equipped to face the technology challenges of the new millennium.

Explaining the airlines' efforts to increase its profitability, Mr. Hill said a significant decision was taken to enlist the support of a strategic business partner.

Consequently, the airline underwent a major corporate restructuring programme in April 1998 and entered into a strategic partnership with the Emirates Airlines of the UAE and acquired a 40 per cent stake. The Emirates Airlines has taken over the management of SriLankan Airlines for a 10-year period with a commitment to renewed growth and profitability.

The SriLankan Airlines has also been voted as the Best Airline of the year-2001 for Central Asia in the global survey of airline passengers conducted by UK's Skytrax Research in a 9- month period. This recognition was the first major accolade since the services were revitalised.

In 1979, the airline flew less than 2,50,000 passengers, but by March 2000 it has flown over 1.47 million passengers.

The airline had recently installed a Baggage Reconciliation System at the Bandaranaike International Airport, which enabled baggage to be tracked right from the check-in point till being loaded onto the aircraft. Colombo is the third airport in Asia to have installed this automated system, the other two being Singapore and Hong Kong.

Air Lanka began its operations from Colombo on September 1, 1979, with initial management assistance from Singapore Airlines (1979- 81) and funding by Sri Lankan Government Treasury, the Bank of Ceylon and the Peoples'Bank, with its first flight to Bangkok. Today, the rechristened airline is on the verge of spreading its wings globally especially newer destinations in Asia.

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