SriLankan Airlines plans Perth, China, Africa expansion

Dhaka: SriLankan Airlines is studying new routes to Perth, China, and Africa, as CEO Vipul Misra said the national carrier must lead the way in opening connections that are expected to support Sri Lanka's tourism sector.

Speaking to the media, Misra said a recent tourism roadshow, held jointly with the Tourism Ministry, pointed to strong demand for flights to Perth.

"We see there is a strong demand in Perth. We do see that China needs to restart anyhow. We really need to deploy capacity," he said.

Misra also flagged plans to restore the carrier's long-dormant African connections, noting that extra aircraft would need to be sourced externally to support any such expansion.

He said the national carrier carries a responsibility to develop routes that other airlines may see as commercially unviable at first, since private operators are unlikely to risk losses on new tourism or transit traffic through Colombo.

According to Misra, SriLankan Airlines must be the one to take that initial risk.

He acknowledged that newly launched routes typically see lower passenger loads in their early stages, since the national carrier bears the cost of pioneering them.

Misra noted that competition from other carriers tends to follow only after a route has already been developed and proven viable.