SriLankan Airlines aims for further gains in the Middle East market

SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, is looking to gain further impetus from the Middle East. The airline, a member of the oneworld airline alliance, said the region is one of its significant source markets, speaking at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. Launched in 1979, SriLankan Airlines today flies an all Airbus fleet, which includes the A330-300 and A320neo aircraft connecting to 100 destinations in 47 countries, including codeshare operations. The company will soon take delivery of its latest A320neo. The Indian Ocean carrier has traditionally benefited from carrying tourists and expatriates between the Middle East, Sri Lanka and the sub-continent. With demand increasing, SriLankan Airlines has now enhanced its services to the region, with daily flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bahrain and Kuwait, it said. The airline is also looking at increasing connectivity to other parts of the Arabian Gulf depending on demand. “The Middle East continues to be one of our most important markets and being present at the ATM allows us to network and interact with the majority of tour operators, travel agents and other stakeholders and present them with our latest offerings,” said Desiree Premachandra, the country manager of SriLankan Airlines in the UAE. The airline, which operates from its hub at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport, will also look to further leverage its membership of the oneworld alliance and work with other partners to increase traffic across its network, it said. “We are an airline with a unique set of advantages, being located in … Sri Lanka and having strong networks and traditional ties to India, the Middle East and East Asia, which we are looking to capitalise on to grow our presence further as a leading player in this sector,” Ms Premachandra said. chnelson@thenational.ae Follow The National's Business section on Twitter

SriLankan Airlines aims for further gains in the Middle East market

The carrier based on the Indian Ocean island is eyeing further opportunities in the Middle East as it looks to benefit from travellers to and from the region.