At 35, it’s about quality, not numbers

Celebrating 35 years of flying, SriLankan Airlines will now cease to focus on increasing numbers, instead opting to grow revenue by improving the quality of passengers. It is getting ready to launch new routes with a keen eye on its Indian neighbour.

Even as the Indian skies witness the crest and trough of various airlines, SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, has been quietly adjusting its strategy.

GT Jeyaseelan, its Chief Marketing Officer, wants to focus on the emerging markets such as India and the rest of Asia Pacific. “In the short term, we will be focussing on improving our product to India. In the long term, we are planning to increase frequencies to double dailies to existing destinations. We are also studying a few new destinations to add to our routes and the decision will be made on the outcome of these studies,” he says.

Speaking about the strategy that the airline will adopt, Jeyaseelan says, “We are not focussing on increasing the number of passengers; instead our main focus will be on revenue growth and improving the quality of passengers. In 2013- 14, we recorded an increase of almost 20 per cent over the previous fiscal year. Although our increase has been mar- ginal since then, our revenue has grown substantially. We are not forecasting a major increase in our numbers for the next fiscal year. But we are concentrating on getting higher revenue from more or less the same number of passengers.”

The first carrier from the Indian sub-continent to join the oneworld alliance this year, SriLankan has also undertaken the arduous task of replacing its entire wide-body fleet. This extensive plan will see the induction of six new Airbus A330-300 aircraft and seven next-generation Airbus A350900 aircraft. The first A330 aircraft was added to its existing fleet this October.

“These aircraft will replace our existing wide-body fleet and allow us to offer a wider range of destinations, better connectivity while also achieving improvements in efficiency and yields,” Jeyaseelan adds.

These aircraft will have all-new interiors, much more comfortable seats both in economy and business class, latest in- flight entertainment system and online connectivity through USB ports and WiFi.

“With passenger expectations changing rapidly, we saw the need to improve our product with modern online features. In order for us to return to profitability, operational and fuel efficiencies have to be achieved and we can achieve this by replacing these older-generation aircraft with more fuel-efficient aircraft. In A330-300s and A350s we found a natural replacement and enhancement. The gov- ernment of Sri Lanka has made a substantial investment – the biggest in the history of SriLankan Airlines,” he reveals.

Sharing his perspective on the Indian aviation market, he says that every now and then every market goes through a process of change and natural correction. “I am not sure whether we should call the Indian aviation industry volatile. We see it as a growth market for the future. We have seen signs of recovery in the past and the recent developments in India will make it even more attractive. We are here for the long term and setbacks are part of any business,” he philosophises.