‘Weerawila proposed airport, a right thinking of Lanka Govt.’

Shirajiv Sirimane

DESTINATION: Colombo is a highly valued destination and Air Arabia, which is the low cost airline from UAE would keep operating flights to Colombo, said the Country Manager Air Arabia, in Sri Lanka, Sajad Khan.

He said that they would continue operations setting an example for other airlines showing their commitment to the country. He said that last Wednesday they had a meeting with the aviation authorities in Sri Lanka who were very supportive.

The CEO of this Air Arabia Adel Ali has said that they would continue operations to Sri Lanka uninterrupted.

He said that the airline operates daily flights to Colombo from Sharajah and they have a healthy 96 percent seat

 factor. “This is some thing extraordinary to our destinations,” he said.

Khan said that one of the other key factors in the airline is that there is a 45 minute turnaround in Colombo that guarantees the passengers a flight on time.

He said that in addition to their growing labour market traffic there is a new emerging corporate sector market for them.

“We are now in the process of introducing both inbound an outbound holiday packages,” he said.

Air Arabia, the first low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, announced that it would construct a 300-room hotel at Sharjah Airport. The announcement followed the signing of a management agreement between Air Arabia and Rotana Hotels to manage this property under their Innovative Centro by Rotana brand, offering affordable, superior-class accommodation and hospitality.

He said that the Sri Lanka is a far thinking country in terms of infrastructure development and the building of the second airport at Weerawila is a classic example to prove it. “With the rapid development, the country there is a need for a second airport and this is a step taken at the right direction,” he said.

He also said that they are also looking at destinations in addition to the present destinations which operate to Ahmedabad (India) Aleppo (Syria), Alexandria (Egypt), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Amman (Jordan), Assiut (Egypt), Astana (Kazakhstan), Bahrain, Beirut (Lebanon), Chennai (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Damascus (Syria), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar), Istanbul (Turkey), Jaipur (India), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Karachi (Pakistan), Kathmandu (Nepal), Khartoum (Sudan), Kochi (India), Kuwait, Latakia (Syria), Luxor (Egypt), Mumbai (India), Nagpur (India), Peshawar (Pakistan), Muscat (Oman), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Sana’a (Yemen), Sharjah (U.A.E), Tehran (Iran), Thiruvananthapuram (India) and Yerevan (Armenia)