The Hindu : SriLankan Airlines opens Kochi-Colombo route

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 24, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

SriLankan Airlines opens Kochi-Colombo route

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI APRIL 23. Kochi established a direct link with Colombo when the inaugural flight of the SriLankan Airlines landed at the Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Kochi has become the eighth destination of SriLankan Airlines in the country, and the fifth in South India.

Apart from Kochi, the airline now flies to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bodh Gaya, Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchirapally and Thiruvananthapuram.

SriLankan will fly its Airbus A320 between Kochi and Colombo every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday, the flight (UL 165) will arrive here at 9 a.m. and return to Colombo (UL 166) at 10.15 a.m. On Friday, according to SriLankan officials, the flight would arrive here at 10.30 a.m. and return to Colombo at 11.50 a.m.

Speaking at a reception organised at the airport today, G.T. Jayaseelan, SriLankan's head of commerce, said that besides directly promoting Sri Lankan tourism, the airline would bring in tourists from other destinations into Kochi.

"We'll do to Kochi what we did to Maldives," he said, signalling the airline's interest to operate the maximum number of flights to Kochi. SriLankan Airlines currently operates as many as 16 flights a week from Male. Mr. Jayaseelan said that the airline would fly everyday to Kochi as soon as the Indian Government clears it.

India being the biggest tourism generating country for Lanka, and Lanka the third biggest for India, SriLankan Airlines is all set to exploit the great potential of tourism in the region, Mr. Jayaseelan said. He said the airline would bring as many as 15 major European tour operators to Kochi during its inaugural bash to be held here on May 6 and 7.

Mr. Jayaseelan said that SriLankan Airlines would exercise its `fifth freedom' by connecting Kochi with Male. Fifth freedom or `beyond rights' is an airline's right to pick up passengers from the second country to fly on to a third.

Earlier, V.J. Kurien, managing director of the Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL), had called upon the SriLankan officials to exercise their fifth freedom to Male.

K.V. Thomas, Minister for Tourism, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that the State's tourism department would work together with the islands of the Indian Ocean for a joint promotion.

The State will make use of the technology of the Lankan Government in developing the ornamental fishery sector, he said.

Asha Subramanian, SriLankan sales manager in Kerala, welcomed the gathering. V.J. Kurien, MD of CIAL, Alkesh Kumar Sharma, director of tourism, and C.V. Jacob, director of CIAL, were among those who attended the function.

With the latest destination, SriLankan Airlines will operate 41 flights a week from India. It flies to 31 destinations in 20 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Far East, Indian sub-continent and Maldives.

Ever since it cloaked a renewed look with an active participation from Emirates, the airline has won several awards, including Skytrax best airline in Central Asia in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Acknowledged as the rising star of Asia, SriLankan Airlines has a modern fleet of aircraft comprising A 320, A 340 and A 330.

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SriLankan Airlines opens Kochi-Colombo route