SriLankan Airlines ups flights to Tokyo

SriLankan Airlines, one of the first carriers to fly to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, is celebrating 35 years of flying to Narita by increasing its number of frequencies to five per week, with Sri Lanka growing rapidly in popularity as a destination for Japanese travellers.

The national carrier currently operates four flights a week on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with flights departing Narita at 1120 hours and arriving in Colombo at 1710 hours on the same day. Flights from Colombo depart on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 1915 hours and arrive at Narita at 0735 hours on the next day. 

The fifth frequency, which will commence on the 16 July 2019, will depart Narita on Tuesdays and operate at the same times as flights on other days.

The added frequency will also facilitate Sri Lankan and South Indian travellers to Japan, which is hosting two major global sporting events - the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

SriLankan is the only airline to operate non-stop from Tokyo to Colombo and provides rapid connections to many cities in South India and also to the Maldives which is a highly popular destination among Japanese tourists. Sri Lanka welcomed nearly 50,000 Japanese visitors in 2018 and is popular among both Japanese leisure travellers and those on wellness tours who wish to experience Sri Lanka’s famed Ayurveda medical and relaxation techniques.

SriLankan has deployed its sophisticated Airbus 330-300 fleet on the Narita-Colombo sector, which contains 28 flatbeds in business class, plus 269 economy class seats, complimented by a sophisticated in-flight entertainment and world class service provided by SriLankan’s award winning cabin crew.

Apart from its direct service, SriLankan also offers 70 flights a week between Japan and Colombo via its code share option with its oneworld partner Japan Airlines from Haneda, Narita, Kansai and Nagoya and through SriLankan’s gateway points Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi.

SriLankan’s service is conveniently connected to many other Japanese cities through code share connectivity through its partner Japan Airlines’ domestic flights from Fukuoka, Kansai, Nagoya and Chitose.

Sri Lanka’s national carrier has won a string of international awards including ‘World’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean’ at the World Travel Awards; and ‘Asia’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean’ at World Travel Awards Asia Australasia.

A member of the oneworld global airline partnership, SriLankan Airlines operates a route network of 111 cities in 48 countries from its hub in Colombo and also connects to over 1,000 cities in 160 countries through its oneworld partner airlines.

Sri Lanka, often called Paradise or the Emerald Isle, offers superb value for money as a destination with a wide range of attractions that include wellness tours in Ayurveda and yoga therapy; brilliant white sandy beaches stretching for hundreds of miles along its coastline; amazing opportunities for wildlife safaris and whale watching; and is growing as a city of choice for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE tours).

Sri Lanka has in recent months received the highest global ratings with Lonely Planet rating it as the number one place to visit in 2019; and Condé Nast rating it as a top 20 destination; 

SriLankan Airlines is also the largest airline operation to the Maldives, which is a destination of choice among high-end visitors who enjoy its unspoiled coral atolls, spectacular underwater coral reefs and brilliant marine life.