New facilities are part of multi-tiered development plan for popular stopover point
Dubai - SriLankan Airlines launches its new Serendib Lounge for business class travellers at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) as part of its multi-tiered development plan to make Colombo the preferred hub of South Asia.
Business class travellers from both SriLankan and Emirates may use the new lounge, which holds up to 150 passengers while providing full-service amenities.
The lounge replaces the old Serendib and Peacock lounges and according to Peter Hill, CEO of SriLankan Airlines, the new product complements the airport's rapid expansion programme that has already seen the addition of a new arrivals areas, immigration area and duty free complex.
Hill said: "The Bandaranaike International Airport is improving every day, and we are closely supporting the work of the government in developing its facilities. We are constantly seeking ways of improving our product, and this new business class lounge adds yet another dimension to our services that our passengers can enjoy."
The Serendib Lounge offers a panoramic view of the airport's apron with floor-to-ceiling viewing glass. SriLankan Catering Services provides full meals, with both hot and cold food, as well as a complete range of beverages, including beer on tap and a selection of specialty teas and coffees.
The lounge includes high-tech amenities such as specially designed armchairs that recline and swivel, four separate rest areas with fully reclining Lazy Boy armchairs for passengers with longer transit times, showers, general seating, and a separate smokers' room.
For entertainment, there are two theatre-style giant TV screens with individual headphones at each seat. There is a full Siddhalepa massage service for all users of the lounge, provided by the Hettigoda Group.
The lounge also provides convenient communications facilities including a phone booth and personal computers with Internet access.
Hill said: "The Serendib Lounge is designed to be an area of calm amid the hustle and bustle of the busy airport. We required a world-class lounge to provide the best transit experience for our upmarket passengers, and the Serendib Lounge certainly fits the bill. Its ambience and facilities are on par with or better than other business class lounges in the region."
In the vital Middle East and Indian sub-continent region, SriLankan has introduced daily flights from Colombo to Abu Dhabi, using wide-bodied A330 aircraft, with four of the services continuing to Doha and three to Bahrain.
SriLankan Airlines has been increasing its services throughout the Asian region, and recently announced a further stepping up of operations throughout 2005, adding to a host of Middle Eastern destinations. With nine weekly flights to the former and three to the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, and there will also be a further three early morning departures from Colombo to Dubai, bringing the weekly total to 28, including codeshare operations with Emirates.
- Ends -
About the company
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 four years in a row, (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), underlining its new reputation as a world-class carrier.
In 2003, SriLankan was voted as having the friendliest cabin crew by Skytrax, 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.
Meanwhile, the airline's 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), as well as Polonnaruwa (Hingurakgoda), Anuradhapura, Kandy and Trincomalee.
For further information, please contact:
Kirstie Hepburn
Strategic Solutions for SriLankan Airlines in Arabia
Tel: +971 4 3915390
E-mail media@strategicsolutionsonline.com
Website: www.srilankan.aero
Website: www.srilankan-holidays.com
Fiona Swaffield
Strategic Solutions for SriLankan Airlines in Arabia
Tel: +971 4 3915390
E-mail media@strategicsolutionsonline.com
Website: www.srilankan.aero
Website: www.srilankan-holidays.com
© Press Release 2005
