SriLankan KKs Melbourne

MELBOURNE’S “tremendous potential for business travel” has been cited by SriLankan Airlines as a key reason for its decision to introduce flights to the city from Colombo, beginning 29 Oct.

SriLankan Airlines this morning confirmed it would commence daily services to MEL utilising Airbus 330-200 aircraft, equipped with 282-seats over two classes.

“Our presence in Australia cements the long-standing relationship between our two countries,” SriLankan Airlines ceo Captain Suren Ratwatte said.

“The addition of Melbourne signifies our strategy of optimising the airline’s network in line with our restructuring.”

Travellers flying into Colombo will be able to connect to over 10 Indian cities, including Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Calcutta, Trivandrum, Tiruchirappalli, New Delhi, Mumbai and Cochin.

SriLankan’s chief commercial officer Siva Ramachandran said traffic between the destinations via “various Asian connecting points” has steadily increased.

Ramachandran hinted at other potential services in Australasia, saying the carrier “will continue to explore potential expanions opportunities across its network in order to facilitate the envisaged growth in business”.

The oneworld member carrier also said Victoria’s increasing student population “convinced” the carrier to move forward with its Australian operation.

Australia has one of the largest Sri Lankan expatriate communities in the world, many of whom are living in and around Melbourne, prompting ceo Ratwatte to say “we fulfill a long felt need for a direct service”.

UL flagged the reintroduction of flights to Australia more than two years ago ( TD 16 Feb 15).