New figures posted by SriLankan Airlines have revealed that the Middle East as a region has exceeded its revenue targets for the financial year ending March 2006, with the Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices in particular performing well in attracting new custom for the carrier.
According to UAE country manager Desiree Premachandra, an increasing number of passengers were using SriLankan to travel, via Colombo, to India and other Asian destinations, enjoying premium onboard service and facilities combined with exceptional value-for-money pricing.
“Overall, we achieved the highest passenger carriage since starting flights to the Gulf, with local sales exceeding 55,000 tickets, a 65 per cent rise over 2004/5,” she said.
“Numbers to Trivandrum were up more than 20 per cent, Trichy passengers rose by 45 per cent, while Cochin saw an 185 per cent rise over the previous year and Chennai recorded an 11 per cent increase above the previous record set in 1994/5.”
Passengers bound for Colombo, for either business or leisure, also increased by 35 per cent, a result attributed in part to the aggressive marketing adopted by SriLankan in the UAE where golf, family, sports and sightseeing holidays have been promoted during the year.
“We increased capacity from Sri Lanka to the UAE, with 40 per cent more seats available to Dubai alone but we have upped revenues by 52 per cent, and this total was our highest ever from the station,” she added.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s contribution to revenues rose 94 per cent with passenger numbers nearly 84 per cent above target.
“We now offer an excellent service from both emirates, providing visitors to Sri Lanka and onward travellers to points in India and South-East Asia with convenient connections – and this is reflected in the results achieved during the past year,” concluded Premachandra.
SriLankan Airlines was created in April 1998 when Air Lanka, was privatised following the establishment of a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Emirates Airline. The agreement saw Emirates take a 40 per cent shareholding in the company and undertake a 10-year management agreement, during which time SriLankan has been established as southern Asia’s preferred international carrier.
Following its transformation, SriLankan has won a string of international aviation awards including Best Airline in Central Asia from UK’s Skytrax Research for four years in a row, (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), underlining its new reputation as a world-class carrier.
In 2003, SriLankan was voted as having the friendliest cabin crew by Skytrax, and also won the award for Best In-flight Entertainment (for a fleet size of 20 or less) at the annual World Airline Entertainment Association’s Avion awards in the USA.
Meanwhile, the airline’s sky taxi service has revolutionised domestic air travel in Sri Lanka, offering transfers between the airport and Colombo and Kandy, Koggala, Bentota, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura and Hingurakgoda – flight times from Bandaranaika International Airport are just 30 minutes to each town except for Trincomalee, which is a 45-minute transfer. The network incorporates most major tourist sites, from the beach resorts on the west coast around Bentota and Galle (Koggala), as well as Polonnaruwa (Hingurakgoda), Anuradhapura, Kandy and Trincomalee.
