Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
On 1 September 1979, a plane flew gracefully from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Colombo to Bangkok Don Muang marking the success of SriLankan Airlines' first flight. This starts the development of the national airline of Sri Lanka for forty years. SriLankan Airlines, formerly known as Airlanka, is an important economic pillar of the tourism and air cargo industry in this South Asian island country.
Today's SriLankan Airlines is an airline that has won numerous international awards, transports millions of passengers a year, has a network of 109 cities in 48 countries, and code-shares with the world's best airlines. It has become one of the leading airlines in the Indian Ocean region, the largest airline operating two destinations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the largest foreign airline in India.
Mr. Vipula Gunatilleka, CEO of SriLankan Airlines Group, said, “Our goal is to become the most customer-focused airline in Asia. Whether it is onboard service or ground service, we have won many loyalty for 40 years with excellent customer service. Customer and international honours, safety, punctuality and caring service have always been the constant pursuit of SriLankan Airlines."
As a member of the prestigious “Oneworld” aviation alliance, SriLankan Airlines also connects passengers with more than 1,000 cities in 160 countries through its oneworld partner. Passengers can enjoy Sri Lanka's all-Airbus modern aircraft fleet and its latest on-board service facilities, such as the 180° flat seat in business class and the wonderful in-flight entertainment system, which together form SriLankan Airlines' world-class service system. At the same time, SriLankan Airlines has been rated as one of the most punctual airlines in the world. The high-speed point rate and precise arrival time make it a more reliable choice for global flights.
SriLankan Airlines is not only an airline. In order to support the operation of every airline that flies to Colombo, it has established many effective and unique service support subsidiaries. Its subsidiary, SriLankan Aviation Ground Service is an expert on the ground, serving the passengers of all airlines at the two international airports in the country while SriLankan Air Cargo works closely with all economic sectors to support the Sri Lanka economy. Its important logistics link assists a large number of import and export goods and mail exchanges.
SriLankan Aviation Engineering provides engineering construction and facility maintenance for all airlines to and from BIA while Sri Lanka Aviation Academy is one of the well-known aviation training academies and aviation talents from all over the world. SriLankan Holidays is responsible for leisure tourism activities both inside and outside the country.
SriLankan Catering is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines. It has won a number of international awards for its in-flight catering expertise for all BIA airlines and recently announced that it will launch a project of Rs 250 crore for construction. The state-of-the-art galley provides approximately 40,000 meals a day to further increase its production capacity.
SriLankan Airlines has firmly assumed responsibility as a national airline to provide smooth air services during the crisis from civil war to the 2004 tsunami. After a series of bombings in April this year, although many airlines suspended flights to Colombo, SriLankan Airlines continued to maintain the air traffic network in Sri Lanka. For the revitalization of the frustrated Sri Lanka tourism industry, it has also devoted its efforts to contributing to the global marketing of leisure and business travel on the island.
SriLankan Airlines is now embarking on a new business plan, hoping to reverse the company's profitability in the shortest possible time.
Mr. Gunatilleka added, “Our employees are our greatest strength, and we expect them to be able to help SriLankan Airlines achieve more sustainable development without fear of challenges. Next year, we will add new destinations, such as Ahmedabad. Calicut, Kathmandu, Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney, and a series of code-sharing agreements with airlines in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East to expand our route network. We are implementing many cost-saving initiatives, including fuel-saving measures for our fleet and a range of measures to reduce carbon emissions and the use of on-board plastics. At the same time, efforts are made to overcome the effects of global terrorism, trade tensions and climate change."
/ KUCINTA SETIA
On 1 September 1979, a plane flew gracefully from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Colombo to Bangkok Don Muang marking the success of SriLankan Airlines' first flight. This starts the development of the national airline of Sri Lanka for forty years. SriLankan Airlines, formerly known as Airlanka, is an important economic pillar of the tourism and air cargo industry in this South Asian island country.
Today's SriLankan Airlines is an airline that has won numerous international awards, transports millions of passengers a year, has a network of 109 cities in 48 countries, and code-shares with the world's best airlines. It has become one of the leading airlines in the Indian Ocean region, the largest airline operating two destinations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the largest foreign airline in India.
Mr. Vipula Gunatilleka, CEO of SriLankan Airlines Group, said, “Our goal is to become the most customer-focused airline in Asia. Whether it is onboard service or ground service, we have won many loyalty for 40 years with excellent customer service. Customer and international honours, safety, punctuality and caring service have always been the constant pursuit of SriLankan Airlines."
As a member of the prestigious “Oneworld” aviation alliance, SriLankan Airlines also connects passengers with more than 1,000 cities in 160 countries through its oneworld partner. Passengers can enjoy Sri Lanka's all-Airbus modern aircraft fleet and its latest on-board service facilities, such as the 180° flat seat in business class and the wonderful in-flight entertainment system, which together form SriLankan Airlines' world-class service system. At the same time, SriLankan Airlines has been rated as one of the most punctual airlines in the world. The high-speed point rate and precise arrival time make it a more reliable choice for global flights.
SriLankan Airlines is not only an airline. In order to support the operation of every airline that flies to Colombo, it has established many effective and unique service support subsidiaries. Its subsidiary, SriLankan Aviation Ground Service is an expert on the ground, serving the passengers of all airlines at the two international airports in the country while SriLankan Air Cargo works closely with all economic sectors to support the Sri Lanka economy. Its important logistics link assists a large number of import and export goods and mail exchanges.
SriLankan Aviation Engineering provides engineering construction and facility maintenance for all airlines to and from BIA while Sri Lanka Aviation Academy is one of the well-known aviation training academies and aviation talents from all over the world. SriLankan Holidays is responsible for leisure tourism activities both inside and outside the country.
SriLankan Catering is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines. It has won a number of international awards for its in-flight catering expertise for all BIA airlines and recently announced that it will launch a project of Rs 250 crore for construction. The state-of-the-art galley provides approximately 40,000 meals a day to further increase its production capacity.
SriLankan Airlines has firmly assumed responsibility as a national airline to provide smooth air services during the crisis from civil war to the 2004 tsunami. After a series of bombings in April this year, although many airlines suspended flights to Colombo, SriLankan Airlines continued to maintain the air traffic network in Sri Lanka. For the revitalization of the frustrated Sri Lanka tourism industry, it has also devoted its efforts to contributing to the global marketing of leisure and business travel on the island.
SriLankan Airlines is now embarking on a new business plan, hoping to reverse the company's profitability in the shortest possible time.
Mr. Gunatilleka added, “Our employees are our greatest strength, and we expect them to be able to help SriLankan Airlines achieve more sustainable development without fear of challenges. Next year, we will add new destinations, such as Ahmedabad. Calicut, Kathmandu, Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney, and a series of code-sharing agreements with airlines in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East to expand our route network. We are implementing many cost-saving initiatives, including fuel-saving measures for our fleet and a range of measures to reduce carbon emissions and the use of on-board plastics. At the same time, efforts are made to overcome the effects of global terrorism, trade tensions and climate change."
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