Aviation

Thai Airways to add more flights to Colombo

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

INCREASE: Thai Airways is looking at increasing their frequency to Colombo very soon said the General Manager Thai Airways, Weerawat Swasdibutra. The Airline operates three flights a week.

In an interview with the Daily News the newly appointed Manager said that they are happy with Sri Lanka operations. Swasdibutra said that they would first reschedule their flights and would be going back to their earlier schedule to fly in the night from next week.

This decision has been taken subsequent to the government deciding to re open the Colombo international airport round the clock after taking additional security measures.

Thai was established in 1960 based on a registered capital of merely 2 million baht and has increased capital regularly through to present. It was servicing Sri Lanka for over three decades.

“Both our passenger and cargo loads are satisfactorily handled and we are considering the possibility of adding the fourth flight to Colombo,” he said. He said that they would also explore the possibility of operating to the Maldives with a stop over in Colombo.

The Airline has been also aggressively marketing Sri Lanka as a destination which is gaining in popularity. This five day package tour sold in Thailand has a good response and the next batch of travellers are expected next month.

The five-day tour includes the cultural triangle, Negombo, Kandy and various other places of interest.

Thai Airways now have a total fleet of 87 aircraft, operating flights to over 70 destinations: 11 domestic destinations and 60 international destinations, and has over 26,000 employees worldwide.

For U.S. travellers heading to Asia, Thai offers the fastest non-stop service to Southeast Asia and also the fastest connections to India. Furthermore, Thai recently expanded its services from the U.S. to reflect growing demand in the U.S. market.”

Thai Airways was recently awarded “Best Trans-Pacific Airline Award 2006” by Global Traveller magazine, for the third consecutive year, as a result of an annual reader survey featured in the magazine from February to August 2006.

SriLankan Airlines and John Keells join hands to provide more delicacies on board flights

FOOD: Two of Sri Lanka’s best known corporate entities, SriLankan Airlines and John Keells, have begun a partnership aimed at developing delicious new food items especially for passengers of the National Carrier.

The first step was taken recently when the airline began serving Elephant House brand Vanilla and Chocolate ice cream on SriLankan’s flights to India. The National Carrier is the most frequent foreign carrier into India, with 95 flights a week to no less than 10 cities.

Nigel O’Shea, Head of Service Delivery at SriLankan, said: “We at SriLankan are constantly looking to improve our levels of inflight service, which have won many global accolades, and ice cream is very popular enhancement to the service.

We are always keen to work with local companies whenever we can and providing Elephant House Ice Cream on board further extends our partnership with John Keells and gives something extra to our passengers”.

Head of John Keells Consumer Foods Sector, Manilal de Silva said: “This is the first time that a local brand of ice cream is being

served on board the National Carrier’s flights. Elephant House is one of Sri Lanka’s best known brands for ice creams and other food products. We intend to introduce other Elephant House products aboard the airline’s European sectors shortly.”

SriLankan, which takes great pride in its warm and friendly service, recently introduced more enhancements for the benefit of passengers, ranging from expanded menus to toys for children to more entertainment options.

Different types of cuisine are served on board flights to various parts of the world, with special emphasis on the culinary preferences of each particular region.

Jehan Karunaratne, Manager Inflight Service Support at SriLankan, said: “We are currently developing several types of food items, some of which will be served as snacks in-between meals on flights that have two main meals.”

SriLankan has in recent years won such prestigious titles as World’s Best Airline in a survey of Economy Class passengers, World’s Friendliest Cabin Staff, first runner-up for World’s Best Cabin Staff, and Best Overall Inflight Entertainment (small fleet).

Emirates opens flight catering facility

CATERING: Emirates’ onboard meals from Dubai are now supplied from a new, purpose-built flight catering facility that is the most modern and the largest of its kind in the world. The US$ 120 million unit, with a design capacity to produce 115,000 meals per day, became fully-operational at the start of this month.

The new flight kitchen is exclusive to Emirates while the existing one, adjacent to it, continues to serve all other airlines. Both are operated by Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), which is 90 per cent owned by Emirates and 10 per cent by Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation.

The new unit covers a total area of nearly 50,000 square metres, spread over four floors, and services around 95 departures and 90 arrivals per day.

It has been designed by the EKFC management team in consultation with i + O, the German industrial design company specialising in inflight catering facilities, and incorporates the latest systems in hygiene, energy saving, food production and automated equipment handling to ensure that Emirates passengers enjoy onboard food that is totally fresh, perfectly cooked and absolutely hygienic.

President Group Services and Dnata Gary Chapman commented: “An inflight catering facility is like a Rubic’s Cube; there are so many processes that all have to come together at the right time and in the right place.”

At EKFC, the answer to managing huge demand is automation. That includes an electric monorail system for meal carts, a bin conveyor system for equipment and a vacuum waste disposal system throughout the facility.

Hygiene is ensured with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) in which food safety hazards are assessed and means of control defined and implemented.

Temperatures are constantly monitored using infrared guns that register the temperature of anything at which they are ‘fired’ while the unit’s in-house laboratory continually carries out random tests of food and equipment.