Tag Archives: SriLankan Airlines

The SriLankan Airlines’ Mumbai team, in collaboration with the airline’s Maldives team and Canareef Resort, recently hosted a successful agents’ educational tour to the stunning Gan Island in the Maldives. Famed as a diver’s hotspot, Gan is rapidly transforming into a popular family holiday destination in the Maldives, celebrated for its eclectic mix of natural beauty, rich history, heritage and vibrant marine life – not to mention a lower departure tax than in the Male international airport. The tour welcomed tour operators from Mumbai and Pune, offering them an unforgettable stay in Canareef’s luxurious Premium Beach Villas. The itinerary included snorkelling in vibrant coral reefs, dolphin-spotting excursions, sunset cruises, rejuvenating spa treatments featuring traditional Balinese massages, yoga amidst lush greenery and the delightful flavours of Maldivian cuisine. This initiative is part of SriLankan Airlines’ strategy to boost tourism along the Mumbai–Gan Island route via Colombo. The tour’s success is expected to inspire renewed interest among Indian travellers in visiting the Maldives by choosing SriLankan Airlines’ seamless connections through Colombo. SriLankan conveniently connects Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Trivandrum, Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram to Colombo with 90 weekly flights, offering immediate connections to the Maldives.  

SriLankan Airlines has won the prestigious 2025 APEX Best Entertainment Award in Central/Southern Asia at the FTE APEX Asia Expo on 20 November 2024 in Singapore. The APEX Awards are entirely based on certified passenger feedback, with over a million flights across 600 airlines rated on experience metrics such as seat comfort, cabin service, entertainment, and meals for the 2025 awards. SriLankan Airlines additionally retained its status as a ‘Four Star Major Airline’ in the 2025 APEX Official Airline Ratings™ for the eighth consecutive year. Maria Sathasivam, Manager Product Development, SriLankan Airlines, commented on the award, stating, “We are delighted that passengers have collectively rated SriLankan Airlines as having the best inflight entertainment in this region. A passenger’s inflight experience is shaped by numerous factors, with entertainment playing a key role in enhancing overall inflight satisfaction and reducing perceived travel time. To that end, our content portfolio has been meticulously curated to reflect current entertainment trends, ensuring that passengers stay entertained throughout their journey.” SriLankan Airlines’ Inflight Entertainment (IFE) system offers a rich selection of Hollywood blockbusters, the latest releases and an extensive catalogue of regional films from South Asia and beyond, including favourites from Sri Lanka. The collection offers hours of captivating movies and TV shows across a range of languages and genres, including action, comedy, drama, adventure, animation, kids, musical, sci-fi and sports. Passengers can also enjoy a library of over 100 handpicked audio albums, featuring music for every listener, from international hits to local classics. This prestigious award reflects SriLankan Airlines’ dedication to transforming every journey into an extraordinary experience. It also adds to a growing list of accolades that the airline has secured recently for passenger …

SriLankan Airlines, the official Airline Partner of the Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF), premiered the latest range of products under its award-winning upcycle brand, ‘Mathaka,’ at the event held from 6 to 11 November 2024 at Cinnamon Life. Launched in 2021, SriLankan Airlines’ ‘Mathaka’ brand transforms its retired materials into a range of on-trend lifestyle products and collectables, underscoring its commitment to being one of South Asia’s most sustainable airlines. Like many organizations worldwide, SriLankan Airlines has faced the challenge of ethically disposing of materials retired from its operations. For the airline, this meant dealing with unusable aircraft seat covers, blankets, curtains, uniforms, wooden air cargo pallets, and other items. The airline found its solution in Mathaka, aptly named for transforming remnants of yesterday’s onboard product into brand new consumer items. Mathaka allows SriLankan Airlines to take its planet-friendly philosophy to another level by fashioning people’s memories of air travel into tangible products. The latest range, which includes travel bags, tote bags, peg dolls, table runners and mats, and many more exciting items, also ushers in a new era for Mathaka, with SriLankan Airlines forming collaborations with three Sri Lankan women sustainable entrepreneurs to create Mathaka products. This consists of House of Lonali, founded by Lonali Rodrigo; SO4 by Ruth Weerasinghe; and Pom’s Island by Shamin Abideen. In addition to its sustainable advantages, the Mathaka project also supports the livelihoods of economically disadvantaged women, who are involved in producing certain Mathaka items. Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer, SriLankan Airlines, stated, “Since our earliest days, SriLankan Airlines has championed environmental causes, backing our commitment with action. We are proud to collaborate with these outstanding individuals, with whom we share a deep …

SriLankan Airlines is scheduled to launch a new daytime flight between Bangalore and Colombo starting 31 October 2024, bringing the total weekly operations between the two cities to 10 flights. The new flight timings are ideal for both Indian holidaymakers and business event attendees travelling to Sri Lanka for short weekend escapes. Flight UL 1174 will depart from Bangalore to Colombo at 09:40 AM every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, arriving in Colombo at 11:10 AM. The return flight, UL 1173, will leave Colombo at 07:20 AM and reach Bangalore at 08:40 AM every Thursday through Saturday. The schedule of the new service is designed to offer a more flexible travel experience for Bengalureans jetting out to Sri Lanka, whether for a vacation or a workation. It provides more daytime hours on the island while being conveniently scheduled closer to the weekend. This allows travellers to pack more into their itinerary, make the most of their visit, and return home in time for the start of a new week, making it the most convenient flight option for weekend travel to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s popularity as a holiday and MICE destination in the Indian outbound travel market continues to rise, thanks in part to the geographic and cultural proximity of the two countries. Most Indians are likely to find the comforting familiarity of home in Sri Lanka that is not found in other parts of the world. Additionally, the island’s compactness, coupled with the new flight schedule, enables Indians to enjoy a range of diverse experiences in just a few days, from the stunning southern shores and the historical kovils of the north to the cool climes of the central province, …

SriLankan Airlines has once again been recognized as the Leading International Airline in South Asia under the Visitors’ Choice Awards category at the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) 2024, marking its second consecutive win in this prestigious category.  This accolade reinforces the airline’s status as a powerhouse in the aviation industry of South Asia, with an unmatched legacy of service and hospitality, and a comprehensive flight schedule serving 85% of the South Asian region. SATA, an annual event, celebrates the best of South Asia’s hospitality and travel industries and is widely regarded as one of the region’s most eminent travel awards, endorsed by over 18 regional tourism organisations. Winners are determined based on votes from both industry professionals and passengers, making the award a reflection of industry excellence and customer satisfaction. Commenting on the award, Fawzan Fareid, Regional Manager India, Bangladesh & Nepal, SriLankan Airlines, said, “We are honoured to be recognized as a leader in the region by our valued customers. South Asia is integral to our network, and SriLankan Airlines spares no effort in providing seamless connections between the region and the world, while delivering our renowned Sri Lankan hospitality onboard, along with meals and entertainment thoughtfully tailored to suit localised preferences. I would like to dedicate this award to all the teams overseeing South Asia for their unwavering commitment to serve our customers.” SriLankan Airlines’ vision is to provide passengers with an authentically Sri Lankan experience, characterized by the warmth and hospitality that is so distinct to the country. This vision is reflected in every award the airline has scored for service, including the continuous Four-Star Rating in the Major Airline category at the Airline Passenger Experience …

SriLankan Airlines bagged a Gold Award in the category of “Marketing-Carrier” at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2024, held in Bangkok on 28 August 2024, reaffirming the global appeal of its marketing communication endeavours. The campaign, “Colours of Jaffna,” is the first marketing campaign by any Sri Lankan entity to exclusively spotlight the island’s vibrant north. The timeliness of the campaign is further reinstated with CNN naming Jaffna as one of Asia’s most underrated places recently. This year, PATA honoured 24 travel and tourism entities out of 100 entries from around the world, as judged by a panel of 23 industry experts. One of the most successful campaigns ever to have been executed in the airline’s history, ‘Colours of Jaffna’ garnered a reach of over 14,000,000 across social media platforms with over 500,000 engagements. SriLankan Airlines, Head of Marketing, Saminda Perera, said, “I take this opportunity to thank the encouragement and support extended to us by the management, our valued partners and my team, without whom this will never be a possibility. Time after time, we have endeavoured to present Sri Lanka in novel perspectives, and it gives us great pleasure to be affirmed that our efforts are recognized by the industry fraternity and the travellers alike.” Staying true to the campaign title ‘Colours of Jaffna,’ the visuals — both the imagery and videography — highlight the plethora of colours that define Jaffna. From its waterfronts, and historic fort to the colourful temple interiors, festivities and cuisine, the visual tonality emphasizes the contrasting yet striking colours, capturing the city’s novelty, excitement and vivacity. The video is enhanced by a rhythmic soundtrack, with tempos reflecting the natural ebb and flow of …

SriLankan Airlines and flydubai, the Dubai-based carrier, have announced today an interline agreement commencing from 09 September 2024, introducing more travel opportunities between Sri Lanka, the UAE and beyond on select routes on the carriers’ networks. This interline agreement will enable passengers travelling with SriLankan Airlines to seamlessly connect via Dubai’s aviation hub to more than 30 destinations that flydubai operates to in Africa, Central Asia, Central and Southeast Europe as well as the Middle East. This includes unique holiday destinations such as Bucharest, Istanbul, Krakow, Mombasa, Naples, Sofia, Tashkent and Zanzibar. In addition, the interline will offer flydubai passengers’ access to 16 destinations on SriLankan’s robust network spanning Southern and East Asia, the Middle East and Australia – including Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo. “We are excited to partner with flydubai to provide our passengers seamless connections and greater convenience. This partnership reinforces our strategy to broaden our network and global reach, presenting customers with more travel choices and flexibility. We look forward to collaborating with flydubai and welcoming their passengers aboard our flights to experience an authentic SriLankan journey,” said Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines. SriLankan Airlines and flydubai are committed to delivering convenient and reliable travel options for their valued customers. Passengers can expect the signature hospitality and onboard services that both airlines are renowned for when travelling with SriLankan and flydubai. Commenting on the interline agreement, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said, “we’re excited about our new interline agreement with SriLankan Airlines that will further strengthen trade and tourism relations between the UAE and Sri Lanka. Since the start of operations to Sri Lanka in 2010, we have seen consistent …

SriLankan Airlines turns 45, celebrating a trailblazing journey that took off on September 1, 1979, with just two Boeing 707 aircraft. A pioneer in the region, the airline has always remained resilient in the face of turbulence and has consistently championed true Sri Lankan hospitality globally. Over the years, SriLankan Airlines has proven its versatility in an ever-evolving and testing environment. Today, SriLankan continues to be one of the major international airlines from South Asia, having achieved numerous milestones and accolades along the way. Key Milestones and Achievements: 1979 – Launch of Air Lanka with two Boeing 707 aircraft (1st September) 1979 – Maiden flight to Bangkok on 1st September 1979 – Services are launched to Bahrain, Frankfurt, London, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Paris, Zurich, Madras and Male 1980 – Launch of Air Lanka Catering Ltd 1980 – First Lockheed L1011 Tristar acquired 1984 – Boeing 747-200 acquired 1990 – Air Lanka becomes a member of IATA (International Air Transport Association) 1990 – Three Ilyushin IL-86’s leased to operate mercy flights for Sri Lankans fleeing Gulf War 1991 – First international airline to obtain IATA accreditation for its Centre for Training 1992 – Launched frequent flyer programme “The Serendib Club” 1993 – First Airbus A320-200 acquired 1994 – First Airbus A340 acquired, becoming the first in South Asia to operate Airbus A340 1998 – Enters into a strategic partnership with Emirates 1999 – Air Lanka rebranded as SriLankan Airlines 1999 – First Airbus A330-200 acquired 2000 – Phased out Lockheed Tristars for an all-Airbus fleet 2000 – The cargo arm rebranded as ‘SriLankan Cargo’ and as a separate entity 2000 – SriLankan Cargo launches dedicated freighter service using Antonov AN12F …

SriLankan Airlines, aiming to capture travellers’ attention with its safety protocols, has launched a brand-new onboard safety video featuring a range of Sri Lanka’s most mesmerising scenic locations. In the air travel industry, disseminating safety information is a regulatory pre-requisite, as well as a precaution to ensure that every passenger is aware of safety provisions and protocols. The new safety video transcends this basic requirement by incorporating the island’s aesthetics and the signature warmth and care of SriLankan’s onboard service, to create a cinematic experience that is both informative and captivating. Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, said, “We are delighted to launch our brand-new onboard safety video, which we premiered to over 200 international travel trade partners at the Global Sales Conference. This video replaces the one we have had for over a decade and offers a fresh perspective on the island home we proudly share with the world.” While drawing the viewer’s attention to vital safety details, the video unveils the tourist attractions of SriLankan Airlines’ hub, Sri Lanka. It transforms the flight cabin into various scenic ambiances, conveying that a journey aboard SriLankan Airlines to Sri Lanka is a visually captivating experience in itself. As the regulatory body, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) worked closely with the airline, where the input and valuable insights of the former were immensely helpful to deliver an accurate and universally comprehensible safety demonstration. The Inflight Entertainment system (IFE) version of the video includes subtitles in Sinhala and Tamil, enhancing the clarity and engagement of the safety guidelines being demonstrated. SriLankan Airlines has always been in the forefront of marketing quintessential island attributes to its global network, both …

SriLankan Airlines, the award-winning national carrier of Sri Lanka, has appointed AVIAREPS, the global leader in aviation, tourism and hospitality representation, as its PR representative in India with immediate effect. The appointment was made as the airline seeks to strengthen its brand among Indian travellers with an ultimate goal to jump-start Indian outbound travel to Sri Lanka. AVIAREPS will play a pivotal role in positioning SriLankan as a top-of-mind recall for travellers from India through our extensive experience and expertise. Richard Nuttall, CEO SriLankan Airlines: “India has always been a part of the SriLankan Airlines lexicon and as we continue to ramp-up operations, our focus on India will only continue to grow. Given the significance of the market, it was important to partner with an agency that can help us create a localized approach in our communications with Indian customers. We believe that AVIAREPS has all that it takes to deliver a compelling public relations strategy and advance the SriLankan Airlines’ brand in India, and we look forward to collaborating with them on our future plans for India.” Edgar Lacker, CEO AVIAREPS: “We are extremely proud and honoured about the appointment as PR agency for SriLankan Airlines in India. We are confident that our expertise in public relations, our strong media connections and our deep understanding of the Indian market will enable us to effectively communicate the unique offerings and exceptional services of SriLankan Airlines to the Indian audience. We look forward to working closely with SriLankan Airlines to elevate their brand presence and position the airline as a top-of-mind carrier for travellers from India.” SriLankan Airlines remains strongly committed to its Indian customers and currently operates 80 weekly flights …