SriLankan Airlines aims to boost Middle East market

SriLankan Airlines, will be making fresh forays into the Mideast region through its presence at the Arabian Travel Market which opened in Dubai, UAE yesterday (24 April).

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.

The airline is uniquely positioned to serve as a seamless connector between the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Far East and Southeast Asia, as a result of its strategic location and strong route network, a statement said.

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.

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. The airline is also looking at increasing connectivity to other parts of the 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, Country Manager of SriLankan Airlines in the UAE.

The airline, which is known for its excellent standards of in-flight service and seamless transit operations at 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.

“We are an airline with a unique set of advantages, being located in the tourism paradise of 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,” Premachandra added.

SriLankan Airlines today flies an all Airbus fleet, which includes the sophisticated A330-300 and A320neo aircraft connecting to 100 destinations in 47 countries (including codeshare operations).