11 March 2008

SriLankan Airlines carries 3.2 million passengers in 2007

SriLankan Airlines carried 3.2 million passengers around its global network in 2007, an increase of more than 100,000 over the previous year.

It was the largest number of passengers carried by the airline in a calendar year since its inception in 1979.

Significant increases were recorded in all regions Ã¢â¬' Europe, India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The largest improvements were in traffic to and from Frankfurt, Bahrain, Doha, Bangkok, and Singapore.

Manoj Gunawardena, Head of Worldwide Passenger Sales, said: Ã¢â¬Åâœour worldwide team has achieved an excellent performance during the calendar year 2007. We remained strong in all regions, and our focus on the Indian market yielded excellent results.Ã¢â¬~

In India substantial increases were seen in the number of passengers carried to and from Mumbai, Calicut, Goa, Madras, and Bangalore. SriLankan last November became the first foreign carrier to operate 100 flights per week to India and now serves 11 cities there. During 2007 it launched services to Coimbatore and increased services to several other cities, including its double-daily service to Mumbai.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœIt was not an easy year since some tourists were deterred by strong travel advisories issued by key tourist generating countries. We also faced increased competition from other carriers in India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia,Ã¢â¬~ said Gunawardena.

The airlineÃ¢â¬â¢s other traditional markets continued to be rock solid, including London, Male, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Trivandrum, Trichy, and Cochin. All of the airlineÃ¢â¬â¢s offices contributed by supporting sales efforts throughout the route network.

Services to new destinations launched in 2007 Ã¢â¬' Coimbatore and Jeddah Ã¢â¬' lived up to their potential, and more is expected from them in the future.

Apart from carrying travellers to and from Sri Lanka, the airline has focused on turning Colombo into a hub in the region, connecting East and West and serving as the gateway to India.

SriLankan has made a name for itself as an award winning carrier, receiving accolades such as WorldÃ¢â¬â¢s Best Airline in a survey of Economy Class passengers, WorldÃ¢â¬â¢s Friendliest Cabin Staff, first runner-up for WorldÃ¢â¬â¢s Best Cabin Staff, Best Overall In-flight Entertainment (small fleet), and WorldÃ¢â¬â¢s Most Efficient Operator of Airbus A330s (small fleet).

A Report by The Mole