Does Sri Lankan really fly to 113 destinations in 59 countries?
The SriLankan Airlines website headlined “we bring the world to you” says it flies to 113 destinations in 59 countries. Not really, because the majority of the flights are through codeshare agreements.
SriLankan only flies internationally to 38 destinations across four continents. In terms of intercontinental flights, (not to be confused with long –haul flights such as to Tokyo or Beijing), the airline only operates five intercontinental flights, three to Europe and two to Australia, namely: Three (3) to Europe
Two (2) to Australia
Data studied by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, reveals that for May 2024. Sri Lankan airlines operates 178 intercontinental flights a month, with London and Melbourne appearing as the most popular routes, with 31 flights each and Sydney with 13 flights, as the least popular.
In terms of number of passengers, the airline operating at 100% load factor can transport 52,376 passengers over the month and it achieves this by utilizing its currently available fleet of Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 widebody aircraft.
The airline’s intercontinental routes are few, but they are important to its survivability.
SriLankan Airlines (UL) is the island nation's flag carrier. It has been in operation since 1979 and only operates international flights. The often-overlooked airline has won numerous awards and service accolades in the past. It has a rich and varied history, marred however by poor management and other controversies, including the country’s recent slide to bankruptcy – all of which have caused the airline to face hard times. Despite this, it continues to carry on.
The airline markets itself as a premium carrier. Its ticket fares are all-inclusive, including two checked bags, meals, and in-flight entertainment. As a result, the airline usually competes with other full-service carriers.
The down-side of operating as a full-service carrier is that SriLankan Airlines faces stiff competition from other airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, all of which connect CMB to many destinations, and offer similar fares.
However, SriLankan has a massive edge over these airlines in one regard: it flies direct, whilst all three of its main competitors fly via their hub airports, which significantly increases time spent on flying and transiting. It's enough reason to fly SriLankan over these more established carriers.
Source: External
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