The number of airlines operating flights to Sri Lanka has steadily increased over the years post-pandemic, indicating a significant interest in the country as a tourist destination.
“By the start of the second quarter of 2024, the number of airlines operating flights to Sri Lanka will exceed 40, mirroring the pre-pandemic figures, signalling ongoing interest in the country as a travel hotspot,” Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd., Marketing and Corporate Communications Head Dr. Sumith de Silva told the Daily FT.
He highlighted the significant growth trajectory in airline operations, citing that most of the international airlines have resumed their operations gradually after the COVID pandemic and economic crisis, contributing to the resurgence of the aviation sector.
“A total of 36 top global international airlines are operating flights to Sri Lanka, with 32 of them providing services to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), while three airlines operate flights to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) and one airline serves Jaffna International Airport (JIA),” he said.
Air Arabia, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Air China, Air India, Air Seychelles, AirAsia, Arkia Israeli Airlines, Azur Air, Batik Air, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Emirates, Enter Air, Etihad Airways, FitsAir, flydubai, Gulf Air, IndiGo, Jazeera Airways, LOT, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Rossiya, SalamAir, Singapore Airlines, Smartwings, SpiceJet, SriLankan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Vistara. SkyUp Airlines, Red Wings, Bulgaria Air and Alliance Air are the airlines operating direct flights to the country, apart from the national carrier – SriLankan Airlines.
“Before the COVID pandemic, Sri Lanka had a total of 42 airlines operating in 2019. Out of these, 38 airlines were operating to BIA, three airlines were serving MRIA and one airline was flying to JIA. However, post-pandemic, the number of airlines operating flights to Sri Lanka has shown a fluctuating trend. In 2021, 26 airlines operated flights to the country, which increased to 29 in 2022. Last year, it rose to 42 airlines,” Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Marketing and Corporate Communications Head Dr. Sumith de Silva told the Daily FT.
Dr. de Silva also disclosed that over the next month, two airlines are scheduled to commence operations. “Maldives flag carrier, Maldivian Airline will begin services from Male to Colombo on 25 April, while Thailand’s national carrier, Thai Airways is set to resume operations from Bangkok to Colombo from 1 April. The increase in airline options is expected to further facilitate travel to and from Sri Lanka, catering to the growing demand from tourists,” he pointed out.
During last year a total of 46,639 international aircraft movements were handled by the AASL, whilst 37,276 were handled in BIA, 548 in MRIA and 430 in JIA. In addition, in 2023 over 7.54 million passengers were handled and of that, over 6 million of them were handled at the BIA, whilst 125,623 at MRIA and 23,714 at JIA.
During the first two months of 2024, the AAL handled over 1.5 million passengers and over 9,000 international aircraft movements. In January 2024, a total of 846,173 passengers and 4,733 international aircraft movements were handled, and the bulk of it was carried out at the BIA.
Dr. de Silva said AASL is striving for operational excellence, aiming for a flight frequency between 4,500 and 5,000 flights per month to meet growing demands and ensure seamless connectivity.
For March 2024, SriLankan Airlines has 874 scheduled arrival flights, Qatar Airways 150, IndiGo Airlines 118, Emirates 90, FlyDubai 90, Air India 74, Air Arabia 71, China Easter 61, AirAsia 47, Ethihad 41, Gulf Air, Jazeera, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Singapore Airlines, SpiceJet, Thai AirAsia and Vistara operate 30 flights per month. Air China has 18 flights operating per month, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Air Astana, Rossiya Airlines and Turkish Airlines have 17 flights this month, Azur Air 16, Cathay Pacific 13, LOT Polish 9, Air Seychelles 7, Enter Air 6, Edelweiss Air 5, Arkia Israeli Airlines 4 and Batik Air 2 scheduled arrival flights will operate during March.
