SriLankan aligns passenger network around cargo
SriLankan Airlines is rebuilding its passenger network in line with its cargo operations, after the carrier experienced a near-total collapse of its tourism sales last year as a result of Covid-19, CE Vipula Gunatilleka has disclosed. Whereas pre-pandemic the carrier brought around 30% of all tourists to Sri Lanka, it’s network is now based around long-haul freight routes to Australia and Europe, with an increased presence in Germany and the UK. “Being an island nation we found lots of opportunities as a cargo trade [destination]”, Gunatilleka told the Routes Reconnected online event on 28 April, explaining that the revenue stream is strong enough to justify the purchase of two dedicated freighter aircraft, adding: “We will start with one and add another in time to come.” Gunatilleka says the airline’s Indian network has seen a particularly large reduction in operations as Covid-19 rates have soared in the country. “Previously we had a lot of traffic coming from India, but our dependence on India has very much reduced”, he says, noting that its network has fallen from 10-11 destinations in the country to just a handful of flights per week.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2021-04-29/unaligned/srilankan-aligns-passenger-network-around-cargo
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SriLankan aligns passenger network around cargo
SriLankan Airlines is rebuilding its passenger network in line with its cargo operations, after the carrier experienced a near-total collapse of its tourism sales last year as a result of Covid-19, CE Vipula Gunatilleka has disclosed. Whereas pre-pandemic the carrier brought around 30% of all tourists to Sri Lanka, it’s network is now based around long-haul freight routes to Australia and Europe, with an increased presence in Germany and the UK. “Being an island nation we found lots of opportunities as a cargo trade [destination]”, Gunatilleka told the Routes Reconnected online event on 28 April, explaining that the revenue stream is strong enough to justify the purchase of two dedicated freighter aircraft, adding: “We will start with one and add another in time to come.” Gunatilleka says the airline’s Indian network has seen a particularly large reduction in operations as Covid-19 rates have soared in the country. “Previously we had a lot of traffic coming from India, but our dependence on India has very much reduced”, he says, noting that its network has fallen from 10-11 destinations in the country to just a handful of flights per week.<br/>
