SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the one world alliance, in a move to meet the increasing demands for air services between China and Sri Lanka has initiated operations to Kunming, December 1, 2014.

The national carrier currently operates a total of 15 weekly flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Canton and Hong Kong and with this initiative, will be marking its presence in the South-western China as well.

While, Kunming, with many attractions such museums, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions, is expected attract many leisure and business travellers from South Asian and Middle Eastern regions, SriLankan also gives the residents of the Yunnan Province the opportunity to explore the natural beauty and rich heritage of Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, SriLankan will be operating three weekly flights, departing Kunming on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, at 0255 hrs to arrive in Colombo at 0545 hrs.

Also, the Airlines will operate three departing flights from Colombo on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1835 hrs to arrive in Kunming at 0150 hrs.

Passengers will also get the opportunity to enjoy the relaxing ambience and easy reclining seating on board SriLankan Airlines’A320 aircraft that will be operated on the route.

SriLankan Airlines, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kapila Chandrasena said, “SriLankan Airlines has always viewed the Far East as one of its priority markets where a gradual increase in the number of tourists seeking Sri Lanka for holidaying has driven the airline to look into more expansion opportunities to cater to the growing demand as well as to motivate more travellers from both countries to explore the beauty of the two destinations.

Moreover, SriLankan has been constantly enhancing its product and services to meet the demands of the modern day traveller.

As a result, the first all new A330-300 aircraft which was added to our fleet recently as part of our wide-body fleet renewal programme, will be assigned primarily on the Far Eastern Routes such as Bangkok, Tokyo, Canton and Beijing.”

“China is very much part of the long term strategy of SriLankan to evolve its network.”

In addition to our scheduled operations to China, SriLankan currently operates a weekly charter flight to Chongqing which will continue till mid-December until we resume operations in January next year.”

This addition of a new destination will benefit the passengers who are seeking onward connections to Middle East, India and the Maldives.

With 40 flights a week to 8 Middle Eastern cities, 88 weekly flights to seven Indian destinations and 36 weekly frequencies to Male, SriLankan passengers can now enjoy seamless connectivity from Colombo.

SriLankan’s codeshare services to the Seychelles with its sister carrier, Mihin Lanka also provides a greater convenience for the leisure travellers.

Having welcomed the one millionth Chinese tourist to the island in September this year, Sri Lanka sees a clear increase in numbers of Chinese travellers arriving in the country compared to last year.

According to Sri Lanka Tourist Board statistics, from January to October this year, Sri Lanka has received 106,888 tourists from China, which is a 139% increase compared to the number (44, 742) recorded during the same period last year.

Sri Lanka, the island nation that is predominantly known for its breath-taking aquamarine beaches and vibrant wildlife has become an ideal family holiday getaway.

From its ancient architectural marvels, the ever-green tea gardens enveloped in the country’s central hills, wildlife parks which are home to many spectacular flora and fauna, to the modern metropolitan charms in the Capital and scrumptious Sri Lankan cuisine that tantalises any palate, the island can enrich the travel experience of any type of traveller.

Elaborating further on the Airlines’ expansion plans, Mr. Chandrasena added, “SriLankan had operated Charter flights from Kunming in the past, and this initiative comes into being after various evaluations and many tourism promotional activities conducted in the region by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.”

Source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=115889

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