Srilankan Airlines targets Thailand route

SriLankan Airlines hopes to carry 350,000 travellers in and out Thailand this year thanks mainly to Sri Lanka's celebration of 2,600 years of Buddhism.

Nishanta Wickremasinghe, chairman of SriLankan Airlines, said it carried more than 250,000 passengers into and out of Thailand last year. This year it expects the number to reach at least 350,000 mainly because of increased flight frequencies.

He said the Bangkok route was one of its largest operations in East Asia. The airline operates 26 flights a week to Bangkok. Of that, 13 are between Colombo and Bangkok only, while the rest continue on from Bangkok to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong.

He said Bangkok was the first destination when the airline began operations as Air Lanka in 1979. Since then, Bangkok has been a top holiday destination for Sri Lankans as well as a thriving hub for traders and it is now considered the airline's secondary hub after Colombo.

SriLankan Airlines also carries people from Thailand to almost all destinations in its network, mainly China, including Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Europe.

Thailand is one of the top revenue-generating destinations in the Asia-Pacific region for the airline, contributing 15 per cent.

In financial year 2010-11, the airline generated business value of US$40 million (Bt1.2 billion) into and out of Thailand. It expects to increase that to $60 million in the next financial year. Wickremasinghe added that it still needed to enhance its product and services to cater to a new generation of tourists in Thailand who are interested in exploring the rich heritage of Buddhist countries.

This year, Sri Lanka marks 2,600 years of Buddhism in the country with the Sambuddha Jayanthi celebrations.