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| Tuesday, 30 March 2004 |
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Aussie cricketers fly SriLankan Air Taxis SriLankan Airlines' new Air Taxi Service was busy carrying members of the Australian cricket team from Galle to Kandy after the first Test match on March 13. The Cessna Caravan amphibious aircraft of SriLankan Air Taxis conducted four trips as the Aussie visitors preferred the fast, convenient and comfortable 25-minute ride to the six-hour journey on dusty, traffic-clogged roads. The aircraft took off from the Koggala Lagoon and landed on Lake Victoria just outside Kandy. All ground arrangements and transport were handled by Sri Lankan's Ticket Offices in Galle and Kandy. Steven Bernard, Manager of the Australian team praising the SriLankan service said "The manner in which SriLankan Air Taxis handled the ground arrangements exemplified true professionalism, and it cast aside any uncertainty which we initially had about small aircraft. Once we were airborne, we felt as safe as we would have been on board a commercial jetliner. In addition, we got to our destination from Galle to Kandy and we managed to see some spectacular scenery. As far as the landing on water was concerned, we thought it was the smoothest landing we had." As the light aircraft is able to fly at altitudes of about 2,500 feet, the visitors had a close-up bird's eye view of the breathtaking scenery of the island. The aircraft, which can land and take off on water as well as land, offers a smoother and quieter ride than a helicopter. Apart from members of the team, SriLankan Air Taxis transported team officials, family members of players, and Australian journalists. The first flight had Aussie Captain Ricky Ponting and his wife, former captain and commentator Allan Border, and the Manager of the team Stephen Bernard and his wife. The second flight took several Australian journalists, while the third flight consisted of the parents and family members of Shane Warne. This Air Taxi Service launched last December, is the only amphibious air transport service available throughout most of the island and the aircraft uses specified lakes and rivers, as well as the numerous airfields in the island. Flights are regularly chartered by foreign and local tourists, and businessmen, who have been flown to Trincomalee, Bentota, Kandy, Galle, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa-Sigiriya (Hingurakgoda). It uses the BIA and Ratmalana Airport. A flight from Colombo to Trincomalee lasts less than an hour. Fares range from US dollars 100 per person, and the aircraft can carry eight passengers in addition to the pilot. It conducts scenic air tours around the island including the down south where passengers can see the breathtaking beauty of the beaches and the Indian Ocean. |
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