SriLankan Airlines adds 40 pc capacity for summer

Airline sets ambitious targets for growth in passenger traffic
2022-04-06
/
/ New Delhi
SriLankan Airlines adds 40 pc capacity for summer

SriLankan Airlines says it is adding capacity to match pre-pandemic levels and meet the growing demand for air travel

With the summer fast approaching and as tourism picks up around the world, airlines are mounting their capacities to cater to the increased traffic.
5/5 - (2 votes)

In an ambitious move, the SriLankan Airlines becomes one of the first airlines in the world to reach the pre-pandemic capacity in terms of scheduled flights operated. In a press release, the airline says it is adding 40 pc capacity for the schedule of summer of 2022 and will reach its pre-pandemic frequencies.

The airline says it is adding capacity to match pre-pandemic levels and meet the growing demand for air travel as the industry continues to recover. The frequency increases will come into effect across SriLankan’s network of online destinations with the start of the airline’s summer flight schedule.

The airline says that one of the biggest additions in capacity will be in India, its largest market where operations had been cut dramatically, at the height of the pandemic. On March 27, India allowed resumption of scheduled international flights after two years of closure. SriLankan says it will raise its frequencies to India by nearly 100 pc and have over 100 flights per week to India. Other planned frequency increases to cities in the Indian Subcontinent include the operation of an extra weekly flight each to Gan, Maldives and Lahore, Pakistan.

The airlines says it will raise its frequencies to India by nearly 100 pc and have over 100 flights per week to India

The airline is also planning to match the weekly number of flights to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Muscat and Seychelles in the Middle Eastern and African regions to its pre-pandemic level of operations. Frequencies to certain destinations in the Far East and Oceania would also be gradually increased in the coming months. Daily flights have already been introduced to Kuala Lumpur, while daily flights will be operated to Melbourne by May and to Bangkok and Jakarta by July of this year. Further, an additional weekly flight has been scheduled for Narita starting from July 2022. New destinations are also part of the plan and commercial passenger flights to Seoul, Korea are to be launched in May 2022.

The boost in capacity is significant also as Sri Lanka is passing through one of its worst economic crises in recent times and tourism is one of the key sectors of the country’s economy. The airline says that the increase in operations is based on demand forecasts and is expected to generate increased revenues from traffic into and beyond Colombo through the airline’s extensive network.

“SriLankan is steadily returning its commercial flight operations to normal as the recovery of global travel gathers momentum. We are complementing the operational growth with enhancements to our product and services including the onboard menu, the website and the launch of new destinations. We look forward to renewing our relationships with old friends and to introducing Sri Lankan hospitality to many new guests,” says Richard Nuttall, acting CEO of SriLankan Airlines.

You may also like
SriLankan Airlines
SriLankan Airlines signs codeshare deal with Korean Air
SriLankan Direct Connect
Global launch of ‘SriLankan Direct Connect’ NDC portal in India
SriLankan Airlines
Like Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airlines is all about outdoors & nature
SriLankan Airlines
SriLankan Airlines expands fleet with addition of Airbus A320 4R – ABS

Leave a Reply

Get Magazine