Sri Lankan Airlines is expanding in the U.S. and Canadian markets by opening new sales offices, adding service out of New York and joining ARC to provide ticket distribution for travel agents.
Beginning in November 2005, Sri Lankan Airlines will fly twice daily from New York’s JFK International Airport to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in a code share service with partner carrier Emirates Airlines.

  The airline launched its United States air service with a daily flight from New York in March in conjunction with the Emirates code share agreement.Ê The overwhelming market response has prompted the introduction of additional service, opening up new market opportunities for Sri Lankan Airlines, Sri Lanka, India and the Far East.
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Ê“Sri Lankan’s presence in the United States has already established
an advantage for us over our competitors to the increasingly important markets in South Asia,” said Peter Hill, Chief Executive Officer, Sri Lankan Airlines.
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“By introducing double daily services, we are building on that advantage by offering our customers a choice of flights that provide even more connections to our rapidly expanding network,” added Hill.
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Expanding its network operations, Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, has established a Regional Office and Call Center in New York to serve the North American region. A new representative sales agency office has also opened in Toronto to supplement Canadian customers.
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Sri Lankan Airlines has appointed Ken Campbell as Senior Vice President for North America to spearhead a high level of sales activity for the carrier in these markets, with a team of dedicated local staff.
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Investing in the United States and Canada, Sri Lankan Airlines has planned a twin city promotional campaign covering New York and Toronto to promote the products and services of Sri Lankan Airlines and the tropical island Sri Lanka to travel agents, interline carriers, tour operators and government officials.
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In keeping with the standards of the industry and identifying with the travel agent community in the United States, Sri Lankan Airlines has joined the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) which provides ticket distribution, reporting and settlement services for over 30,000 ARC accredited travel agency locations and corporate travel departments in the U.S.
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“We have recognized the potential in tapping the United States and Canada for both leisure and corporate travelers,” said Barry Brown, Head of Commercial, Sri Lankan Airlines.Ê “Our new codeshare services and offices have set the initial platform to lure passengers to Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives,” added Brown.
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Sri Lankan Airlines’ expanded flight schedule offers to a total of 12 flights per week between London and Colombo with future plans to commence a twice daily operation. In Continental Europe, Sri Lankan Airlines operates a total of 33 weekly flights to Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf, 12 weekly flights to Paris, and seven frequencies to Zurich.Ê These flights are operated by both Sri Lankan Airlines and partner carrier Emirates.
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Sri Lankan Airlines is the largest foreign airline operating into India with 85 weekly flights to nine cities - New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad (famous for pearls), Bangalore (the IT city), Calicut and Kochi in the state of Kerala (well known for the ancient traditional “Ayurveda” healthcare systems), Trivandrum, and Trichy.
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