Cinnamon Air to fly daily between Kandy and southern coastal cities

Friday, 1 May 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cinnamon Air (www.cinnamonair.com), Sri Lanka’s premier domestic airline, announced the launch of daily scheduled flights between Kandy and the Southern Coastal cities of Bentota, Koggala and Dickwella from 1 May. Cinnamon Air will operate its luxurious and powerful Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian aircraft, capable of carrying upto eight passengers, on the scheduled flights between Kandy and three southern coast points (Bentota, Koggala and Dickwella), which will drastically reduce the travelling time between the Central Hills and the Southern Coast. In addition to stress-free and significantly shorter journeys, passengers traveling with Cinnamon Air will be treated to stunning aerial views of the island as well as the thrilling experience of taking off and landing on water. Flying between Kandy and Bentota takes only 30 minutes compared to approximately 6 hours by road, giving clients more time to enjoy this popular beach destination and its abundant leisure activities, ranging from relaxed beach lounging to thrilling water sports. Flying between Kandy and Koggala takes a mere 35 minutes compared to approximately 6 hours by road, and affords clients an effort-less way by which to explore nearby destinations including the historical city of Galle, a famed UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the peaceful beaches of Thalpe and the growing surfing and whale-watching hub of Mirissa. The flying time between Kandy and Dickwella is as little as 40 minutes compared to approximately 7 hours by road, allowing clients plenty of time to enjoy Dickwella’s large sandy beaches, Tangalle’s delectable seafood and other excursions, for example visits to the Rekawa Turtle Hatchery. Commenting on the introduction of the daily scheduled flights between Kandy and the Southern Coast, Jayantha Panabokke, Managing Director, Mahaweli Reach Hotel stated that these new flights would be a “big bonus for Kandy, especially with the season for the Middle Eastern travellers approaching. These flights would allow clients to travel seamlessly between the pristine beaches of the Southern Coast and the Central Hills, making short day or overnight excursions easy and even more enjoyable.” Amal Goonetilleke, Regional Director, Sales, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Taj Hotels added that “driving between Kandy and the Southern Coast tends to be quite an arduous and time consuming journey and as a result discourages many tourists from traveling between the two locations for short breaks. The introduction of the extremely short (30 to 40 minute) and luxurious flights between the Central Hills and the Southern Coast are sure to appeal to those who wish to make the most of their time at a beach resort. These flights also give clients who spend the majority of their time on the beach the opportunity to explore the Hill Country within a day or two.” Romesh David, Director, Cinnamon Air, stated: “Cinnamon Air continuously monitors domestic travel habits, client feedback and developments in the international and local tourism sector, which indicated that there was a need for increased swift and luxurious air transfer options between the ever-popular Central Hill country, and tourist ‘hot-spots’ on the Southern coastline. These new routes and the expansion of the domestic flight network further cements Cinnamon Air’s commitment and efforts to develop Sri Lanka’s growing tourism infrastructure and image as a complete and easily explore-able holiday destination”. All Cinnamon Air scheduled flights operate in code share with SriLankan Airlines, consequent to which they are also be available for sale throughout the SriLankan Airlines network and all Travel Agents around the world via Global Distribution Systems, under a “UL” designated flight number. Cinnamon Air, owned and operated by Saffron Aviation Ltd., is a joint venture between Sri Lanka’s largest listed conglomerate, John Keells Holdings, MMBL Leisure Holdings (a part of the Mercantile Merchant Bank Group) and Phoenix Ventures (parent of the Brandix Group, Sri Lanka’s largest garment manufacturer). The airline operates a fleet of two Cessna 208 amphibian aircraft and one Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft, with scheduled services to key inland points in Sri Lanka. Cinnamon Air also offers charter services to and between all airports and water aerodromes in Sri Lanka. The airline is based out of Katunayake where it operates a dedicated domestic terminal (within the precincts of the BIA) and also has its own purpose built hangar and maintenance facilities.