FT
Thursday Nov 07, 2024
Friday, 10 February 2023 00:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
SriLankan Airlines said yesterday it is set to renew its commercial operations to China in the first week of April 2023, with a thrice weekly service each to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou as China reopens its borders.
It said China was a leading source market for inbound tourism to Sri Lanka and one of SriLankan’s premier leisure traveller segments before the pandemic, and SriLankan is positioning for a strong comeback in China upon its return.
SriLankan will launch passenger flights to Shanghai on 3 April. Accordingly, flights will depart from Colombo to Shanghai every Monday, Thursday and Friday, and return from Shanghai to Colombo every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Flights from Colombo to Beijing will also commence on 3 April, and are scheduled to depart for Beijing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week. The return flights to Colombo will depart on the respective subsequent days.
SriLankan Airlines currently operates a weekly flight between Colombo and Guangzhou, and a second flight will be introduced on 4 March. Furthermore, SriLankan’s services to Guangzhou will become a thrice-weekly operation exactly a month later on 4 April, with flights taking off from Colombo to Guangzhou every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The return flights from Guangzhou to Colombo will depart every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
With Chinese travellers eager to make up for lost time in globetrotting, SriLankan will be working closely with the local travel trade to reignite enthusiasm for Sri Lanka as a leisure destination in China. In addition to specifically curated holiday packages and deals, SriLankan offers Chinese customers the convenience of paying via Alipay and WeChat Pay.