SriLankan Airlines is keen to resume its pre-pandemic flight frequency as it looks to make a strong comeback in the Indian market.
The carrier is hopeful for a resurgence in demand from the Indian market with the launch of its new campaign “Dil Full of Sri Lanka”. The campaign provides a selection of experiences and activities at various price points that appeal to different types of customers.
“We were earlier operating 125 weekly flights to India which reduced to 90 flights a week. Our priority is to get back to the same frequency, in fact, we want to better pre-pandemic frequency numbers,” said Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution, SriLankan Airlines in interaction with Travel Trade Insider.
The carrier is at present operating flights to nine Indian cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Madurai, and Tiruchirappalli. The airline has no immediate plans to add any new destination to its Indian network.
“As I said earlier the focus as of now is to strengthen existing operations in India and once it happens, we can consider expanding to new destinations,” shared Tennakoon.
In spite of reduced frequency and destination portfolio, India remains the biggest feeder market for Sri Lankan Airlines. The importance of the Indian market for Sri Lankan Airlines can be gauged from the fact that it contributed 15 per cent to the carrier’s revenue prior to the onset of the pandemic. A significant number of Indian travellers transit via Colombo to destinations like London and Sydney. SriLankan Airlines also offers convenient connections to the Middle East for passengers travelling from South India.
Sri Lanka traditionally has been a popular destination among Indian travellers mainly because of its diverse tourism products and experiences. Tennakoon is expecting a strong revival from the Indian MICE, FIT and wedding segments in the coming days.
“The MICE movement has already started for Sri Lanka. The first MICE group we handled post the emergence of Covid was about one and a half years ago, consisting of 150 pax. Since then, the MICE business has picked up. Recently, we handled a 550-pax-strong MICE group. Wedding is another segment that has immense potential for us. Many wedding planners are showing interest to choose Sri Lanka for their client’s big day,” added Tennakoon.
Sri Lanka is aiming to earn over $ 300 m from the MICE events in 2023. The target is to welcome 1.5 million international tourist arrivals, out of which 10-15 per cent will be MICE travellers.
As the airline is looking at restructuring, it has put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 10 additional aircraft on lease and is working through the bids it has received. The carrier expects to return to its 27-aircraft fleet by the middle of 2024.
Pic: Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution, SriLankan Airlines
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