SriLankan Air Taxi acquires second aircraft

SriLankan Air Taxi took delivery of its second De Havilland Twin Otter aircraft as it continues to expand its popular operations throughout the island.

SriLankan’s Head of Worldwide Sales, Mohamed Fazeel, said: “SriLankan Air Taxi is rapidly growing in popularity among both foreign tourists and Sri Lankans. The second Twin Otter will give us more flexibility to serve the needs of our diverse customers and will also allow us to operate daily flights to more towns and cities.”

The twin-engined aircraft was flown in to Bandaranaike International Airport from Canada on 1 April. The floatplane has a capacity to carry over 15 passengers in comfort, making any area of the country accessible within an hour.

Pradeep Durairaj, SriLankan’s Manager Marketing, said: “SriLankan Air Taxi has served to re-position the country’s tourism industry at a higher level by providing an alternative to surface transport, which in turn means that travelers can avoid the hassle of long road journeys and getting caught in traffic. We reduce a six-hour journey to just one hour.”

The domestic arm of SriLankan Airlines was re-launched last December and now operates to lakes, rivers and lagoons around the island. They include water-dromes in Colombo (Kelani River), Kandy (Polgolla & Victoria), Nuwara Eliya, Bentota, Hambantota, Ampara, Koggala, and Tangalle. Plans are being finalised to commence operations to Castlereagh, Ampara, Dambulla and several other towns in eastern and north-central Sri Lanka.

Air Taxi also operates a daily service along the southern and southwestern coastlines between Dikwella, Koggala, Bentota and Colombo. Daily flights to Nuwara Eliya have been introduced and are operating with full loads.

Daily flights to Kandy will be introduced from May 2011.

SriLankan Air Taxi also just launched scenic flights on weekends, with the low-flying aircraft providing a breathtaking panoramic view of the island’s beaches, forests, mountains, and waterfalls.

Air Taxi also operates special services for events such as the Cricket World Cup when it carried cricket fans to Hambantota and Kandy.

The Twin Otter is the first of seven aircraft that SriLankan Airlines plans to acquire this year.