Cathay Pacific to spread its wings

By Cheranka Mendis

Premier airline, Cathay Pacific is geared up for a good time in the Sri Lankan skies backed by the double digit increase in inbound and outbound travel to and from Sri Lanka.

The airline which connects 141 destinations in 39 countries with its home and hub in Hong Kong is satisfied with the outcome of 2010, deeming it a successful year both in Sri Lanka and around the world. The country, rising after a three decade war now plays host to a large number of international community members in the areas of business, investment and tourism. The demand for Sri Lanka is now on the rise and the airline is poised to reap the maximum benefit of the growth potential, Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives for Cathay Pacific Andrew Pattison said.

“We are cautiously optimistic for 2011,” Pattison said, “while the aviation industry as a whole had a good year in 2010, the airline experienced a sharp rise in demand in Sri Lanka and across Asia.” The World Cup hype has also added to the demand with the expatriate population in Hong Kong in particular flying towards Sri Lanka to partake in the event, he said.

The increasing business connectivity between Sri Lanka and China is good news for the airline as well, with more and more businessmen regularly travelling between the two countries. Having a hub in Hong Kong means that Cathay Pacific is ideally placed to take advantage of the strengthening relations between Sri Lanka and China.

“These are exciting times for all stakeholders in the travel industry. The country is definitely poised for growth backed by a stable political background. Business is picking up fast with international investors showing keen interest. Tourism industry is all set to welcome 750,000 tourists in 2011 according to its Visit Sri Lanka 2011 project. All this shows that the industry has a lot of good things to look forward to in 2011” Pattison stated.

 He stated that the Sri Lanka Tourism’s ‘Visit Sri Lanka 2011’ project would be a hit among travellers and tourists. “We are keyed up about the project and we have confidence that it will be a success.” In 2010, tourist arrivals from China increased by 22 per cent compared to the numbers that came in, in 2009. As at 31 December, the number of tourists coming to Sri Lanka from China reached 10, 430 persons, making China the fourth highest country sending tourists to Sri Lanka in the East Asian region.

“Let’s hope the world economy stays strong,” Pattison said, “Sri Lanka with its unspoilt beauty with its beaches and tea trails has nothing else to fear and we are also seeing rapid improvements in the infrastructure that will soon make headways in the country.” The overall position of Sri Lanka tourism is that of a positive one, he said. “The country plays well to its strengths and could be marketed as a boutique destination quite successfully. I feel lucky to be here as Sri Lanka is opening up to the world.”

Pattison expressed that the airline is also keen to promote Sri Lanka as a destination. As such, the country has been featured twice in the Cathay Pacific in-flight magazine ‘Dicovery’ within 2009-2010 and once in 2011. The last year’s issues have discussed shopping in Sri Lanka as well as the historical city of Galle while the January issue is a four page spread on hotels of Sri Lanka. The cover page of the January 2011 edition features typical Sri Lanka scenery of fisher folk in the country.

The airline also offers special inbound packages to Sri Lanka via Cathay Pacific Holidays. Also part of Asia’s leading travel programme ‘Asia Miles’ the airline offers 3.4 million members of the programme special offers to fly to Sri Lanka among other destinations. “We are also looking at expanding the online offers for passenger convenience. Through this the customer can enjoy benefits such as checking in online, choosing the seat in advance and choosing various services.”

Speaking on the global performance of Cathay Pacific, Pattison stated that the airline was expecting a 10 per cent capacity growth within 2011. “This is significant growth, as we already have 122 aircraft to our name. We will receive nine new passenger aircraft in 2011 — six Boeing 777-300ERs and three Airbus A330-300 will make up the growing fleet.” Ten freighter aircraft Boeing 747-8Fs are also on order.

He asserted that last summer, Cathay Pacific made the biggest order in the history of the airline, with orders for an additional 36 aircraft placed, including 30 A350-900s and 6 additional B777-300ERs. “These aircraft will fuel the future growth of the airline over the next decade”