Did SriLankan err in suspending Frankfurt operations? | Daily News

Did SriLankan err in suspending Frankfurt operations?

SriLankan Airlines has made a big blunder by suspending flights to Frankfurt, said former youngest freight service manager at Sri Lankan Airlines Frankfurt Airport, Hiran Houx. Houx who served at the Frankfurt office for more than a decade said that one of the main reasons for the suspension of the Colombo- Frankfurt flight was the losses the airline suffered.

“However this route can and could have been a very profitable route if there was a focused marketing campaign launched in Germany.”

He said that Germany is among the top four tourist arrival destinations for Sri Lanka and this route should have being nursed with more focus without suspending it.

Tourists like to take a direct seven-hour flight and reach their destination rather than transiting for hours and spending half a day to reach their destination.”

He also said that some times SriLankan fares were cheaper than the competitors but passengers did not know about it.

Houx said that the cargo advantage the airline had too been underutilized.

Sri Lankan suspended operations to Paris and Frankfurt from Winter 2016 as part of its restructuring plan.

SriLankan operates daily flights to both Doha and Abu Dhabi and has a strong codesharing partnership with Etihad and Qatar through which it will continue to provide onward connectivity to European destinations it has been serving via Paris and Frankfurt, the airline said.

The airline said that the route network is being continuously evaluated in the context of changing market dynamics in order to maximize on sustainable routes which bring in more contribution towards the bottom line. Haux said that there was an instance where a SriLankan flight from Frankfurt to Colombo flew empty due to industrial action at the Frankfurt airport.

“This is a clear example of mismanagement. The best way out of this was to land the Frankfurt-bound SriLankan flight in Dusseldorf airport which was just two hours away and transport passengers and cargo overland.

This is what the other airlines did and none of their flights went back empty.” Houx after retiring from SriLankan now owns and runs CISMAT GmbH in Germany – a general sales service agency for air cargo with offices in several European countries. CISMAT is administered by a staff of 16 with an annual turnover of 46 million euros.

CISMAT also has a branch network in Austria, Vienna, Romania, India and Sri Lanka. In addition Houx also owns and operates the four star 48-key Araliya Resort and Spa Bentota. 


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