Maiden flight to Colombo in October first week :

Hainan Airlines to fortify Sino-Lanka economic relations

Ravi LADDUWAHETTY

Sino-Lanka economic relations will be further bolstered with Hainan Airlines, one of China’s frontline international airlines, flying Colombo in the first week of October.

“China has over 20 international airlines, over thirty international airports and we at Hainan have over 200 aircraft waiting to make inroads into South Asia when we fly Colombo in the first week of October,” a buoyant Hainan Airlines Colombo General Manager Brian Yang told the Daily News Business yesterday.

The new airline the latest addition to Colombo, which will originate in Beijing with a stopover in Bangkok, will fly four weekly frequencies-Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Brian Yang

Gerard Victoria

“Hainan Airlines will be initially flying a Boeing 737-800 aircraft which has 154 economy class seats and eight business class seats but will add bigger capacity aircraft with the increased volume and with the passage of time.

When the traffic between the two countries grow, we will be adding the A-330 and A-340 aircraft which could accommodate up to 250 and 280 passengers.

We will be adding the most state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamline aircraft to the Colombo route if the traffic improves with time, he said.

He said that the typical Chinese tourists are looking for new destinations and there is huge awareness that Sri Lanka is war and risk free and are eagerly awaiting their arrival here to explore the scenic beauty along with the beaches and the temples.

There is a lot of interest evinced in Sri Lanka about the beaches and the sun in Bentota, Beruwela and the deep South and also the venues of religious worship such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy, he said.

Hainan will make its presence in the South Asian region with the establishment of its first destination in Calcutta in September prior to the arrival in Colombo.

This flight services by the Chinese operator will also strengthen the business ties between the two countries with a large number of investors also exploring the possibilities of arriving here for joint ventures. Also moot in the context of the four thousand plus labourers working at the Hambantota port.

He said that his airline would also support Sri Lankan tour guides with education in Mandarin, which he said, would fortify their communications and inter-personal relationships with the Chinese.

Hayleys Aviation Director and General Manager Gerard Victoria whose company holds the Hainan Airlines General Sales Agency said he hoped that the airline would extend the frequencies on a daily basis.

“We have the requisite experience in ground handling and other areas to handle such a major airline,” he said.