South India is SriLankan Airlines' extended home base, says CEO

Mumbai: South India is an extended home base for Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, which is all set to expand its operations in metros and tier-two cities in the region, according to Kapila Chandrasena, Director & CEP, SriLankan Airlines. As part of a move to accord thrust to the Asian market, the airline will increase both frequencies of operations and choices of destinations in India.
In an interview with The Hindu, Chandrasena said increasingly liberal aviation policies and opening of secondary cities was a welcome sign for the industry in India. “India is important due to the sheer scale of operations it offers our network, and the market is big enough to sustain any number of airlines.”
The airline despite incurring losses and curtailing frequency of operations in the European sector would increase frequencies to Delhi and Chennai while exploring the possibility of operations in Tier II cities, including Madurai. Chandrasena was in Tiruchirapalli en route to Madurai to hold talks with stakeholders in exploring the potential of the temple city.
“Sizing up the Madurai market, we feel that the city has the right mix of passenger segments,” he said adding that the airline might look at operating turbo aircraft with limited seating capacity at the initial stage. Responding to a query on how the operations would affect Tiruchirapalli, the closest destination for travellers in south, he was optimistic that markets were big enough for unexplored segment.
26/02/12 Travel Biz Monitor

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2012