SLAITO hails SriLankan Airlines’ return to profitability

The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) in a statement yesterday congratulated SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage and his team, on driving the national carrier to profitability within a very short period of time.

“This is especially commendable considering we are in a pandemic which never seems to end, creating a lot of uncertainty in the airline and travel industry worldwide,” SLAITO added.

“We commend the bold steps taken by SriLankan Airlines, in starting up new routes to Europe and Russia, which has paid off. SLAITO is grateful to SriLankan for taking these bold steps and opening up these tourism markets for the industry, by providing direct connectivity which is something most clients look for in these times. This has helped in no small measure for bringing in the tourist numbers that have been achieved since opening up, early last year,” the statement said.

“SriLankan Airlines has always stood by the tourism industry, providing direct connectivity and supporting the industry by carrying out joint promotions, both on their own and with the SLAITO membership, to encourage build tourism numbers, especially during difficult times. The recent One to One promotion in India and the Bloggers Promotion are examples of these initiatives and we are grateful to our national carrier for carrying them out. These promotions are the need of the hour and it is indeed encouraging for the industry as a whole.”

SLAITO said it will assure the national carrier of its unstinted support in developing the tourism industry in the future.