After the reopening of Sri Lankan airports to international tourism, four more airlines have come on board with Sri Lanka, bringing the total number of airlines flying into the country above 20, The Morning Business learns.

The four airlines that have recently come on board are Air Astana, Air Ukraine, Oman Air, and Gulf Air.

Speaking to The Morning Business, Airport & Aviation Services Sri Lanka Limited (AASL) Chairman General G.A. Chandrasiri confirmed that several airlines will be coming into the country this year, along with these latest airlines that have agreed to operate in Sri Lanka.

“There are more than 20 airlines coming to Sri Lanka,” he confirmed.

A total of 23 flights are currently operating to and from Sri Lanka since the opening of the borders to all international tourists on 21 January. The flights operating include SriLankan Airlines, Qatar Airways, China Airways, Singapore Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Ukraine International Airlines, Oman Air, Emirates, and LOT Polish Airlines, among others.

“Several private airlines are requesting to operate flights to Sri Lanka, and we are encouraging them to come do so,” Chandrasiri added.

In this context, Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga said that, prior to the pandemic, around 80 airlines were operating to and from Sri Lanka; however, it might take a couple of months to get those airlines back on board. As of January, “a total of 35 airlines have expressed their willingness to operate flights,” Ranatunga added.

Gen. Chandrasiri further pointed to the recent presence of German tourists to highlight that even though european airline activity has decreased, tourists from Europe and other countries visit Sri Lanka.

In addition to this, AASL mentioned the frequent travel activity from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. This activity can also be seen in the latest airline arrivals, as two of the latest airline arrivals are from Middle Eastern countries.

“There are tourists from Germany, but there are only tourists coming in, not airlines in operation. Also, there are no European or American airlines coming in at the moment. However, so far we have Emirates, Qatar Airlines, and the airlines from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries,” Gen. Chandrasiri elaborated.

“We have worked with the American, Singaporean, and other airlines. They are operating right now, but there are no airlines that are coming just yet,” Gen. Chandrasiri added.

He further highlighted that an additional three new airlines have agreed to conduct operations into the country. “There are three more airlines that are planning to come; I cannot reveal their names, simply because they have not confirmed their arrival,” the AASL Chairman stated.

The Government also granted approval to two airlines to operate in Sri Lanka, increasing the number of registered carriers to nearly 40 last month. Ethiopian Airlines and Maldivian Airlines are the two approved, among six new applications received by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL).

Pending approval to operate in Sri Lanka are GoAir, which is a Indian budget airline; Sky Capital Airlines, a Bangladesh cargo airline; Jetsar, an Australian budget airline; Air Falcon, a cargo carrier from Pakistan; and Jazeera Airways from Kuwait.

Source: http://www.aviationvoice.lk/four-airlines-come-board-sl/