Sri Lanka’s flag carrier, SriLankan Airlines, is ratcheting up its Asia-Pacific presence with two new route launches and an increase in flight frequency on a third.
Notably, the carrier is now flying to Hong Kong from Colombo non-stop five times a week, as well as daily to Guangzhou – eliminating the need for the airline’s previous stopover in Bangkok. That said, its daily Bangkok flights have also been given a significant boost, with the airline raising this up to three times a day.
These, along with a number of other routes to India, have pushed the airline’s number of destinations up to 41, the most it’s ever served in its history. This is in spite of the financial hardships the airline has been under in recent years, notably the need to cancel its lease of four A350s last year, a decision that set the airline back US$170 million. However, the carrier has said that since the beginning of the new 2017/18 financial year, it’s reversed the declining yields it had experienced last year.
The new Hong Kong service takes the form of two separate flights that operate at different times – UL892/UL893 operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, while UL896 flies on Wednesday and Friday, and UL897 flies on Thursday and Saturday. Both use the airline’s A321 aircraft.
Full details of the service are as follows (all times local):
Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
UL892 | CMB | HKG | 0905 | 1710 | Mon, Thu, Sat |
UL896 | 1355 | 2200 | Wed, Fri | ||
UL893 | HKG | CMB | 1815 | 2105 | Mon, Thu, Sat |
UL897 | 0200 | 0450 | Thu, Sat |
Meanwhile, the new daily Guangzhou service is also operated by two flights using an A330-200, also with different timings and days of operation (it should also be noted that flight UL880 from Colombo to Guangzhou flies at a slightly different time on Sundays).
Full details of the service are as follows (all times local):
Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
UL880 | CMB | CAN | 1410 | 2230 | Tue, Wed, Fri |
1450 | 2300 | Sun | |||
UL884 | 1725 | 0120+1 | Mon, Thu, Sat | ||
UL881 | CAN | CMB | 0200 | 0510 | Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat |
UL885 | 0230 | 0540 | Tue, Fri, Sun |
Aircraft on the new Bangkok services, meanwhile, will vary, as will flight times depending on the day they operate.
Full details of all of SriLankan’s non-stop flights between Colombo and Bangkok are as follows (all times local):
Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
UL402 | CMB | BKK | 0115 | 0615 | Daily |
UL404 | 0705 | 1210 | Tue, Fri, Sun | ||
0715 | 1220 | Mon, Thu, Sat | |||
0750 | 1255 | Wed | |||
UL406 | 1405 | 1910 | Wed | ||
1500 | 2005 | Mon, Thu, Sat | |||
1545 | 2050 | Tue, Fri, Sun | |||
UL403 | BKK | CMB | 0910 | 1100 | Daily |
UL405 | 1310 | 1500 | Tue, Fri, Sun | ||
1320 | 1510 | Mon, Thu, Sat | |||
1520 | 1710 | Wed | |||
UL407 | 2105 | 2255 | Mon, Thu, Sat | ||
2150 | 2340 | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun |
In related news, the carrier also plans to launch its new non-stop daily Melbourne flights starting October 29 this year, marking its return to Australia after a 16-year hiatus. Tickets on this service are currently available to book.
This year, SriLankan also took delivery of two new A320neo and the first of its A321neo, with two more set to join its fleet before the end of 2017.