SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the one world airline alliance, is looking to gain further impetus from the Middle East, even as the Indian Ocean island nation increasingly reaps the positive dividends of rapidly growing tourist numbers the Saudi Gzzette said.
The airline will be making fresh forays into the region, which is one of its significant source markets, through its presence at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on April 24 to 27.
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.
The airline has traditionally done well in carrying tourists and expatriates between the Middle East, Sri Lanka and the sub-continent and has also been increasingly viewed as a viable alternative to reach East and Southeast Asia.
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, will also look to further leverage its membership of the one world 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 capitalize on to grow our presence further as a leading player in this sector,’ Premachandra said.