News
SriLankan to launch daily Melbourne flights
June 2nd 2017
Sri Lanka’s struggling flag carrier, oneworld member SriLankan Airlines, this week announced a daily Colombo-Melbourne A330-200 flight commencing on October 29. Read More » The carrier will hold the monopoly on the route.
The announcement did not come as a surprise. SriLankan has been mooting flights to Australia for several years now, but financial duress and a changing operational environment on the Kangaroo Route have delayed the launch decision.
“Given the number of Sri Lankans residing in and around Victoria, we fulfil a long felt need for a direct service,” said SriLankan chief executive, Captain Suren Ratwatte.
SriLankan hopes to connect Victorians through its Colombo hub to London Heathrow, its destinations in India and the Middle East, and further afield to Europe through codeshare flights with Emirates Airline and Malaysia Airlines.
SriLankan has had to cut its European network, with the exception of London, citing year-long unprofitability.
The airline’s haemorrhaging continues, although somewhat less. SriLankan has been unable to secure new investors.
