Major centres now linked by regular air services operated by SriLankan Airlines

Dubai, 10 August 2004: Offering mountain greenery, tropical beaches, ancient monuments and wildlife reserves, Sri Lanka has a wealth of attractions in a relatively small area - but tourists have often been deterred from exploration due to the long car journeys needed to transit between the sites.

For 2004, the national carrier SriLankan Airlines has come up with an aerial solution, launching a domestic air taxi service that provides convenient links from the capital Colombo for visitors to destinations such as Kandy, Bentota on the west coast and Trincomalee in the east.

Traveling times have been reduced to between 30 and 40 minutes, compared to three and four hours previously, and the service is being fine-tuned in preparation for growth of high-end tourism in the coming year.

According to airline chief executive Peter Hill, the arrival of upmarket hotel groups such as Banyan Tree and Aman Resorts, as well as expansion by local companies, means demand for speedy transits will spiral.

 "The interest shown by these hotel operators underlines the potential of Sri Lanka's tourism industry, but we know that luxury travelers will require the appropriate transport facilities and it is with this in mind that we are expanding our sky taxi operation," he said.

Originally launched with two Cessna caravan amphibious aircraft, the sky taxi service has revolutionised domestic air travel in Sri Lanka, offering transfers between the airport and Colombo and Kandy, Koggala, Bentota, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura and Hingurakgoda - flight times from Bandaranaika International Airport are just 30 minutes to each town except for Trincomalee, which is a 45-minute transfer.

The network incorporate most major tourist sites, from the beach resorts on the west coast around Bentota and Galle (Koggala) to the ancient ruins at the former capitals of Polonnaruwa (Hingurakgoda) and Anuradhapura, the spices and temples of Kandy and the unspoilt east coast at Trincomalee.

Hill said that subject to prior arrangement, passengers could also fly between each of the points on the domestic network, while the aircraft were also available for private charter for a fee of US$1,000 per flying hour, with a maximum passenger load of eight.

"With four passengers, each will pay only US$100 for each sector, with children's discount of 50 per cent, offering a viable alternative to road transfers since SriLankan Air Taxi will enable visitors to see more and enjoy a stress-free travel experience."  

"We anticipate that in future visitors will opt for travel by air for at least one sector of their Sri Lanka tours," added Hill.  "Not only will they arrive at their destination stress-free and in double quick time, but the views from these relatively low-flying aircraft are spectacular, so there is the bonus of aerial sightseeing en route."

SriLankan Airlines currently operates services from Colombo to 42 destinations in 23 countries, and future expansion plans call for additional flights to cities in India, as well as long-haul destinations such as Beijing.

In the Middle East, SriLankan operates to Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

-Ends-

Editors' notes
SriLankan Airlines was created in April 1998 when Air Lanka, was privatised following the establishment of a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Emirates Airline. The agreement saw Emirates take a 40 per cent shareholding in the company and undertake a 10-year management agreement, during which time SriLankan has been established as southern Asia's preferred international carrier.

Following its transformation, SriLankan has won a string of international aviation awards including Best Airline in Central Asia from UK's Skytrax Research for three years in a row,  (2001, 2002 and 2003), underlining its new reputation as a world-class carrier.

In 2003, SriLankan was voted as having the friendliest cabin crew by Skytrax in the same year, and also won the award for Best In-flight Entertainment (for a fleet size of 20 or less) at the annual World Airline Entertainment Association's Avion awards in the USA. 

For further information:
For media enquiries: Kirstie Hepburn / Susan Furness
Strategic Solutions for SriLankan Airlines in Arabia
Tel: +971 4 3915390,
email media@strategicsolutionsonline.com

For airline information: www.srilankan.aero

Holiday information: www.srilankan-holidays.com

© Press Release 2004