The famed Indian coastal resort town of Goa is to become SriLankan
Airlines’ 50th global destination, and the 10th in India, with the
airline planning to launch services from Colombo in October.SriLankan is the largest foreign carrier operating to India, with nearly
a hundred weekly flights to New Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Hyderabad,
Madras, Trichy, Trivandrum, Calicut, and Kochi.

Peter Hill, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, said: “We at
SriLankan are acutely aware of the growing importance and opportunities
of the travel market both into and out of India. SriLankan has
positioned itself as the link between India and the rest of the world,
and we have been steadily expanding our presence there in the last few
years. We are very excited about commencing services to Goa, which we
see as having excellent commercial prospects.”

 

The twice-weekly flights, which would be of two hours’ duration, are
scheduled for Mondays and Saturdays.

 

Barry Brown, Chief Commercial Officer, said: “SriLankan continues to
explore further opportunities by increasing our services to India, and
we are currently considering launching services to more cities, as well
as increasing the frequency of flights to existing destinations.”

 

“We believe this service would be very useful for travellers between Goa
on the one hand and our destinations in Europe and the Middle East on
the other,” said N. Prabaharan, Regional Manager Sri Lanka & Indian
Subcontinent. “There is also a large volume of traffic between India and
Sri Lanka, which is expected to keep on increasing.”

 

Bilateral travel between India and Sri Lanka is at an all-time high with
Indians being among the most frequent visitors to Sri Lanka. In return,
Sri Lankans now rank as the third largest block of visitors to India,
after the United States and Britain.

 

Large numbers of Indian shoppers descend on Colombo throughout the year
to snap up name-brand clothing at bargain prices, as well as the
island’s traditional products of tea, gemstones, and exotic handicrafts.
Many Indian families also choose Sri Lanka for their vacations, with its
mix of 2,500-year-old culture, wildlife parks, breathtaking scenery, and
golden beaches.

 

The airline’s domestic arm, SriLankan Air Taxi, has made the entire
island accessible within an hour, and now serves 14 destinations, with
the low-flying amphibious aircraft giving a breathtaking view of the
panorama of Sri Lanka, combined with the exhilaration of a landing on
water.

 

Colombo has become a destination of choice for many Indian companies for
meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE tourism), taking
advantage of the excellent facilities in hotels on the Indian Ocean
island, and combining business with a vacation for their employees or
management.

 

Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport is second to none in the
South Asian region in terms of comfort and facilities, with its modern
Pier and Aero-Bridges, well-stocked Duty Free Shopping Complex, and
sophisticated Business Class Lounge.
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