SriLankan Air Taxi moves to Kandy

THE amphibious aircraft of SriLankan Air Taxi have begun operations from a site on the Mahaweli River in Kandy, providing even more convenience for travellers to and from the hill capital.

"Passengers to Kandy now have the added convenience of being dropped off almost in the town itself. The landing site is very popular with tourists and businessmen, since it is very close to the Mahaweli Reach Hotel and The Citadel," said Herman Pereira, Manager Air Taxi at SriLankan.

The road journey often takes more than three hours, while an Air Taxi flight takes only 35 minutes. SriLankan Air Taxi's Turbo Otter aircraft already operates to and from the Victoria Reservoir at Digane, just outside Kandy.

"We will continue to operate to Victoria, for the convenience of passengers such as golfers and holidaymakers who travel to the nearby Victoria Golf and Country Club," said Pereira.

The new landing site on the Mahaweli is the latest move by SriLankan Air Taxi, the domestic arm of SriLankan Airlines, to support tourism in Sri Lanka.

SriLankan Air Taxi's daily scheduled return flights from Colombo to Bentota and Koggala, which began last November to coincide with the Winter tourist season, have proved very popular among tourists and locals, carrying passengers from Colombo to Bentota in comfort in less than half an hour, and on to Koggala in another 40 minutes.

It also recently began inexpensive half-hour flights on weekends specifically designed to give children and families the thrill of flying over the many different picturesque areas of the country.

SriLankan Air Taxi has made any part of the island accessible within an hour and now flies to 14 destinations - Kandy, Bentota, Nuwara Eliya, Higurakogda, Galle (Koggala), Weerawila, Ampara, Katunayake, Ratmalana, Trincomalee, Katukurunda, Sigiriya, Dickwella and Anuradhapura.