Srilankan Archives

September 29, 2020

September 29, 2020, Colombo: SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld alliance, reaffirming the global appeal of its marketing communication endeavors, bagged a gold award at the PATA Gold Awards 2020.

Accordingly, the National Carrier was among the 20 winners announced recently at the virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020. SriLankan Airlines was awarded the title ‘Marketing Carrier’ for its Pan India campaign- Next Door Neighbor and Serendipity Next Door.

SriLankan Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Vipula Gunatilleka said, “Winning an award is a reason for celebration and an affirmation that we are heading in the right direction. Receiving this coveted title from PATA, specially under the prevailing circumstances, gives us hope that we are capable of facing the challenging times ahead and our remedial communication content aiming to garner long-term, universal appeal can have a strong impact on our business recovery.”

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, “The winners of the PATA Gold Awards set industry standards for excellence and innovation and provides the association with the perfect opportunity to recognise and reward the very best the Asia Pacific travel industry has to offer,”

SriLankan Airlines’ General Manager Marketing Mr. Saminda Perera said, “We are delighted to receive this prestigious title at the virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020 and it is truly inspiring that our efforts are continually rewarded in this manner. This is a result of an extremely satisfying team effort and I take this opportunity to thank the celebrities who were part of these creations, the management which has been supportive of our endeavors, my team, and our creative agencies J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett, without whom this will never be a possibility.”

The winning entry of the ‘Marketing Carrier’ category, ‘ Next door neighbors’ is a visual representation of multi-faceted attractions of Sri Lanka primarily targeting holidaymakers of India, with the underlying message that one does not have to look very far for exciting or serene getaways when Sri Lanka is right next door.

India being the Airline’s single largest market, it was vital that effective marketing campaigns were executed to retain the country’s appeal among the Indian travellers in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday tragedy which resulted in a massive 80 percent reduction of tourist arrivals in the country. Going by the rationale that in Sri Lanka, a traveler has the privilege of experiencing an international destination with the convenience of a domestic trip as opposed to travelling within India, the campaign reached out to the discerning Indian traveler through a 360 degree creative execution unfolding through a variety of media such as radio, cinema, digital, travel publications and outdoor advertising.

SriLankan Airlines’ brand videos- ‘Serendipity Next Door’ and ‘Ode to Paradise’ created ripples across social media platforms for its virality. ‘Ode to Paradise’ is a revival of the well-loved ‘Blue Waters’ song of the Air Lanka fame, which praises the island beauty of Sri Lanka, through the eyes of world-renowned Sri Lankan celebrities. ‘Serendipity Next Door’ is an extension of ‘Ode to Paradise’ specially crafted to appeal to the Indian audience. The two videos recorded a combined number of 73 million views on Facebook and 2.2 million views on Youtube, whilst the latter became the first Sri Lankan brand video to cross one million views within 11 hours and five million mark in two days.

This is the third time that the National Carrier made its mark at PATA, having received gold awards on two previous occasions in 2007 and 2019.

The PATA Gold Awards 2020 attracted 121 entries from 62 organisations and individuals worldwide. The winners were selected by an independent judging committee of 16 personalities from various destinations.

September 20, 2020

SriLankan Airlines wishes to state the following with regard to the Delhi court case against a former senior official of the airline and the subsequent media reports that are currently being circulated.

The case in the Metropolitan Magistrate- 05, Patiala House Court, New Delhi where an order has been delivered convicting a former Regional Manager of SriLankan Airlines, had been filed pursuant to a complaint made by a former Sales Executive on a personal matter against the said former Regional Manager of the airline. The airline was not a party to this legal action in which the order has been delivered.

The airline had received a complaint from that Sales Executive in 2011 alleging an incident took place in 2009 involving the said former Regional Manager and transferring her from the airline’s office in New Delhi to the office in Cochin.

Upon receiving the complaint, the airline had conducted an inquiry in terms of the Company’s special policy against harassment in 2011 and the Committee had determined that her transfer to Cochin had been based on commercial requirements. As the former Sales Executive had been dissatisfied with the outcome of the inquiry and she wanted another inquiry, the airline had conducted a further inquiry into her complaint in 2014 in line with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal Act of 2013 in India, where the Committee had been of the view that her complaint of “sexual harassment” could not be justified and her transfer to Cochin would stand.

As the former Sales Executive did not comply with the requirement of the Company to report to the office in Cochin, the airline was compelled to terminate her services on disciplinary grounds following the due procedure in terms of laws in India.

SriLankan Airlines is one of the first corporate entities in Sri Lanka who adopted a policy against harassment at workplace way back in 2007. SriLankan Airlines, as an entity that is committed to ensure safe working environment for all its employees, maintains a zero-tolerance policy against any kind of harassment.

June 25, 2020

Colombo, 25 June 2020: In its quest to continuously support Sri Lanka’s export industries and to keep the country connected with the global economy during the pandemic, the National Carrier SriLankan Airlines has converted a wide-body passenger aircraft into a dedicated cargo aircraft.

This converted Airbus A330 aircraft will commence operations on the 25^th of June to key destinations in the Far East and Europe.

Mr. Ashok Pathirage, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines said, “We have transformed this aircraft to allow maximum cargo capacity with main deck loading in addition to the aircraft’s lower deck cargo hold to mainly support the needs of our export industries, as well as our imports sector, during the current global shortage of air cargo capacity and to strengthen the airline’s revenue stream during a time when the air transport industry is in crisis.”

The reconfiguration of the aircraft was carried out inhouse at the airline’s hub at Bandaranaike International Airport, where the SriLankan Airlines’ engineering team worked around the clock. The new operational configuration has been certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka.

The aircraft will fly a total of 170 cubic metres of cargo capacity with the enhanced 60 cubic metres of cargo on its upper deck with 110 cubic metres carried on the lower deck. The total payload of the aircraft will amount 45 metric tons.

Mr. Chamara Ranasinghe, Head of SriLankan Cargo said, “With the poor demand for passenger travel and the consequent reduction of air freight capacity in the global market has left a significant void for global supply chains. The past few months have seen SriLankan Airlines operating several routes specifically to cater to this demand for cargo capacity with our fleet of passenger aircraft. The converted operation comes at an ideal time for providing customers with enhanced volume capacity in maximizing the connectivity per flight.”

SriLankan Airlines currently operates other aircraft on special cargo flights to 20 destinations in the Europe, Middle East, Australia, India and the Far East regions whilst offering capacity for cargo charter operations to customers in need of the same.

May 16, 2020

A moment of pride as SriLankan Airlines aircraft were seen at O. R. Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg – South Africa recently. SriLankan carried 45 tons of cargo from Beijing and Guangzhou in China to South Africa that included 7 million face masks and other much needed medical supplies with In Cabin Loading. SriLankan continues to connect the East and West via its hub in Colombo Sri Lanka.

May 2, 2020

Affairs of the Government of Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airlines would be operating the following repatriation flights for Sri Lankan nationals from London – UK and Melbourne – Australia

Colombo – London – Colombo

Dates of Operations – 03rd / 04th / and 05th of May 2020 (all timings in local tine)

Flight Number	Origin	Destination	Departure time	Arrival Time
UL 503	Colombo BIA	London Heathrow	00:35 hrs	07:30 hrs
UL 504	London Heathrow	Colombo BIA	09:30hrs	00:45 hrs

Colombo – Melbourne – Colombo

Date of Operation – 08th of May 2020 (all timings in local tine)

Flight Number	Origin	Destination	Departure time	Arrival Time
UL 604	Colombo BIA	Melbourne – Australia	00:20 hrs	14:40 hrs
UL 605	Melbourne – Australia	Colombo BIA	08:15hrs	14:30 hrs

April 26, 2020

SriLankan Airlines wishes to clarify details of social media posts that are currently circulating, implying that the airline has charged an excessive sum of money from passengers who were on a specially operated flight to repatriate stranded Sri Lankan students from India to Sri Lanka.

SriLankan Airlines wishes to state that the above-mentioned flight was specifically operated as a special flight, based on the request made by the students and their parents to the Government of Sri Lanka.

Accordingly the Government of Sri Lanka together with other government departments, Airport and Aviation Services Ltd., armed forces, government medical agencies and the foreign ministry of Sri Lanka arranged for and enabled the repatriation flight with SriLankan Airlines by obtaining necessary international governmental approvals as airports and airline operations have closed in most countries.

The above flight was a ferry flight out of Sri Lanka and departed India with an overall cabin factor of 50% or less.

When operating to destinations that the airline does not currently fly to as in the case of Kathmandu, and Amritsar the operating cost such as landing / parking / ground handling etc are incurred at prevailing rates in the absence of service contracts with suppliers. As such these costs are relatively higher.

These main operating costs are beyond the control of the airline and are incurred despite lower cabin factors.

Further taking into consideration that most airports have shut down SriLankan Airlines had to carry fuel from Colombo for the return journey, catering services and organize standby ground services for any unforeseen emergency.

The special repatriation flight was also operated under special COVID-19 airline operational procedures thus being subjected to a further increase in expenses that included the use of Personal Protective Equipment for staff, deep cleaning, fogging and de-misting procedures to disinfect aircraft etc –

When the total cost is divided among lesser number of passengers, the per-passenger cost is substantially higher.

At a time, when the global airline industry is at a shutdown, SriLankan Airlines rose to the occasion where staff of the airline including operating pilots, cabin crew, ground handling staff, planners and many others behind the scenes were risking the safety of their lives and families to operate a humanitarian flight that did not have a commercial objective.

It is in this respect the airline had to quote fares that were purely based on costs for the special repatriation flight unlike general market fares that are based on market dynamics.

April 25, 2020

As the travel restrictions imposed by the countries in our global network continue to be in place due to the COVID 19 pandemic, SriLankan Airlines is compelled to extend the temporary suspension of its scheduled passenger flights till 15th May, 2020.

The Airlines’ cargo services will continue to operate from its worldwide network, facilitating essential supplies of medical resources, equipment as well as perishable cargo in support of governments and industries during this tumultuous period – bringing in vital revenue for the airline and foreign exchange into the country.

Continuing to reach out to fellow Sri Lankans in need, SriLankan Airlines will operate special passenger flights as and when required.

For further information and clarifications, passengers are requested to contact their travel agents, their nearest SriLankan Airlines Office or the Airlines’ Global Contact Centre on +94117771979

For more information visit www.srilankan.com

April 21, 2020

Continuing to reach out to fellow Sri Lankans in need, SriLankan Airlines will operate special flights from India’s Amritsar, Coimbatore, Pakistan’s Karachi, Lahore and Nepal’s Kathmandu to bring home 433 Sri Lankan students who have been stranded overseas due to the prevailing travel restrictions imposed in view of the COVID 19 pandemic.

These special flights are being operated as part of the Government of Sri Lanka’s programme to bring back Sri Lankan students stranded in foreign countries and are being carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Airline earlier operated several such flights to bring home pilgrims and students stranded in several countries, including a group of students who were trapped in Wuhan during the early days of the pandemic.

Accordingly, on 21^st April 93 Sri Lankans from Lahore and 20 from Karachi are scheduled to return on flight UL1206. On 23^rd April a further 101 will be flown back from Amritsar on flight UL146. Two more special flights, both on 24^th April, will bring back 117 Sri Lankans from Coimbatore on flight UL194 and 93 more from Katmandu on UL 1425.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissions in these states have obtained permission from the respective civil aviation authorities to operate these special flights. The returnees will be handed over on arrival in Sri Lanka to the care of Sri Lanka’s health authorities, armed forces and other relevant institutions, for necessary procedures.

April 15, 2020

The Airlines’ cargo services will continue to operate from its worldwide network and special flights as and when required.

For further information and clarifications, passengers are requested to contact their travel agents, their nearest SriLankan Airlines Office or the Airlines’ Global Contact Centre on +94117771979

For more information visit www.srilankan.com

April 2, 2020

The Chairman and Board of Directors of SriLankan Airlines are ever mindful of their duty to protect the country’s economic interests, livelihoods of the employees of the SriLankan Family and are making every effort to ensure the business continuity of the National Carrier.

Globally, the airline industry faces its gravest crisis in the modern times, due to COVID-19 pandemic, and some airlines are grounding their fleet either partially or completely, discontinuing all non-essential business operations and sending staff on compulsory unpaid leave or imposing salary cuts to minimize costs and maintain their position as viable business entities. This is a situation that the air transport industry has never faced before and is placing unprecedented stress on the financial viability of many airlines and the economies of the countries in general.

For this reason, the management of SriLankan Airlines has already taken measures to preserve the liquidity of the National Carrier by negotiating deferred payment plans and deductions with Airline’s key suppliers. Whilst doing so, the Airline is continuously looking at creating new business opportunities whilst focusing on cost saving measures to improve liquidity.

These measures include mandatory salary reductions from the staff starting from 2.5% to 25% for a period of three months, freezing all the salary increments to be implemented in the year 2020, and other initiatives including temporarily terminating operations from 8th to 21st April, 2020 with the exception of cargo services which have a direct impact in saving costs.

The management of SriLankan Airlines is taking all endeavors to protect and safeguard its staff members and their employment with the total confidence that the Airline will collectively overcome these challenges, with the strength of the Airline’s employees.

The management of the National Carrier will continue to engage with its employees during this challenging period to identify productivity enhancement initiatives that would further strengthen its efforts to ensure the Airlines’ business continuity.

SriLankan Airlines expresses its sincere gratitude to all its staff for the many sacrifices they are making, in order to ensure the continued existence of the National Carrier, and to assist the company to protect their livelihoods for the future. The contribution of every employee and the support of the employee trade unions are highly valued by the Chairman, Board of Directors and the management.

Older Posts

SriLankan Airlines’ marketing communication endeavors commended yet again at PATA 2020 Gold Awards

Statement on New Delhi court case against a former senior official of SriLankan Airlines.

SriLankan Airlines supports export industries by converting passenger aircraft to full freighter

Soaring the skies and connecting continents

Operation of repatriation flights for Sri Lankan nationals from London – UK and Melbourne – Australia by SriLankan Airlines

SriLankan Airlines clarification on social media reports on special flights

Temporary suspension of SriLankan Airlines scheduled flights due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak extended to 15th May 2020

SriLankan Airlines operates special flights to bring back Sri Lankans stranded in India, Pakistan and Nepal

Temporary suspension of SriLankan Airlines scheduled flights due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak extended to 30th April

SriLankan Airlines implements cost saving measures to ensure survival of National Carrier and livelihoods of employees.