SUMMARY
- SriLankan Airlines signs interline partnership with Emirates, providing seamless connections to 30 routes in Asia and the Middle East.
- Passengers can access Emirates’ network through Colombo and Dubai, with added benefits including baggage transfers.
- SriLankan Airlines customers gain direct connections to 15 cities operated by Emirates, expanding travel options and supporting tourism growth.
After a horrible few years when its future looked unsure, SriLankan Airlines is throwing off the gloom and doom by signing a new interline partnership with Emirates that will encompass 30 routes. Passengers from both carriers can now seamlessly access destinations around Asia, the Middle East and beyond with just one ticket.
Seamless connections through Colombo and Dubai.
On Tuesday, Emirates announced it has signed a reciprocal interline agreement with SriLankan Airlines, aimed at boosting connectivity for passengers of both airlines. The partnership, which is already bookable, will give customers access to each other’s network through their Dubai and Colombo hubs with the convenience of baggage transfers.
Emirates passengers will have 15 additional destinations, including two new ones in India, Madurai and Tiruchirapally, and Gan Island in the Maldives. Other Asian destinations include Cochin, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Malé, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Guangzhou, Seoul and Tokyo. Emirates Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said the agreement will give its customers more choice and access to additional destinations to suit their travel plans.
A world of connections for SriLankan passengers
Direct access to the global Emirates network and direct connections to 15 cities operated by Emirates beyond Dubai is a major boost for SriLankan Airlines’ customers. They will enjoy partnership benefits on Emirates flights to Bahrain, Amman, Dammam, Medina, Cairo, Muscat, Nairobi, Moscow, Tel Aviv and various US cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Houston.
Richard Nuttal, CEO of SriLankan Airlines, said the airline is committed to providing connectivity to Sri Lanka from around the world, and it works with many partners to access cities it does not presently fly to.
Emirates has been operating in Sri Lanka since 1986 and in those 37 years has carried more than eleven million passengers to and from Colombo. From Dubai International Airport (DXB), Emirates operates two direct daily flights to Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The Middle Eastern carrier also operates an additional daily service to Colombo via Malé, which also utilizes the Boeing 777 widebody. Emirates is the only international airline that serves Sri Lanka with the choice of a first class cabin, and typically the 777-300ERs on the route are configured with 360 seats, including eight in first class, 42 in business and 310 in the economy cabin.
By Mian saeed ahmed khan
