SriLankan to connect Goa and Colombo from October

BY A CORRESPONDENT
May 28, 2006

SriLankan Airlines will be operating flights into Goa from Colombo from October onwards, on Mondays and Saturdays, with each flight of a two-hour duration.

N Prabaharan, regional manager, Sri Lanka and Indian sub-continent, said in a press release, "The service will be very useful for travellers between Goa on the one hand and our destinations in Europe and the Middle East on the other."

SriLankan, which is currently operating almost 100 flights every week into Indian destinations like New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Tiruchy, Trivandrum and Calicut, is also claimed to be the largest foreign carrier operating into India. Indians have also become the most frequent foreign visitors to Sri Lanka. Additionally, Sri Lankan visitors to India is at an all-time high, with Sri Lankan nationals comprising the largest number of visitors to India, after Americans and Britons. Prabharan confirmed this saying, "There is also a large volume of traffic between India and Sri Lanka, which is expected to keep on increasing."

According to Peter Hill, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, "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."

Added Barry Brown, Chief Commercial Officer, "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."

Colombo has become a preferred destination for Indians, with incentives for shoppers, especially for goods such as cheap name-brand clothing, as well as traditional products like tea, gemstones, and exotic handicrafts. In addition, the mix of its 2,500-year-old culture, wildlife parks, breathtaking scenery, and golden beaches makes Sri Lanka an attractive tourist destination.