Following the announcement of a near doubling of profits for the year 2003/2004, SriLankan Airlines is continuing its staged growth in all areas…
Following the announcement of a near doubling of profits for the year 2003/2004, SriLankan Airlines is continuing its staged growth in all areas.Airline management has revealed plans to expand IT capabilities, airport facilities and catering and cargo divisions, as well as bringing in additional capacity in its fleet and adding new destinations.
A net profit after tax of Rs. 4,555.14 million (US$44 million) was reported by the airline and its SriLankan Catering Services subsidiary, an increase of 94.97 per cent over the previous financial year. This increase was attributed in part to SriLankan’s dynamic expansion on Indian routes.
Total operating revenue rose 24.6 per cent, while passenger numbers increased by 14.3 per cent to 2.06 million. Meanwhile, the airline fleet expanded to 17 with the acquisition of two A340s, two A320s, another Antonov AN12F freighter and a Cessna Caravan floatplane.
According to CEO Peter Hill, while the airline had achieved many of its goals during the past year, there was more to come in 2004/5 to meet a projected 28 per cent revenue growth.
He said: “The addition of China to our network will be a landmark, while we will continue expansion in to India with the launch of our eleventh destination, Ahmedabad.
“The successful launch of our domestic air taxi service will be followed up with more destinations and the acquisition of two more amphibious aircraft, while we will also add to our Airbus fleet in the coming year.”
On the ground, Hill said the final touches were being made to a new business class lounge at Colombo airport, scheduled to open by year end, while a new US$25 million flight kitchen will be launched in September 2005, quadrupling current capacity.
The cargo centre will also double capacity in the coming year – while a new all-freight service to China will begin this winter.
“Equally exciting are the developments by our IT division, which is fine-tuning every aspect of a project to introduce e-ticketing with a fully automated Internet booking engine for SriLankan Airlines,” he said.
“Our website is constantly being updated, and customers can already pre-order duty-free items or meals in business class, while additional features in the coming year will include a new generation cargo system.”
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Hill said the airline was committed to widening its network to offer convenient links between the region and south Asia, as well as farther afield.
“We are now offering daily connections to 10 destinations in India via Colombo, as well as providing a gateway in to the Maldives for leisure travellers – while the promotion of Sri Lanka itself as a holiday destination is reaping rewards with both expatriates and Arabs discovering the wide range of attractions on the island.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
