Asian – Dispatch

SriLankan Airlines has announced strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabian carriers Saudia and Flynas, further strengthening air travel connectivity between Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka while expanding access to a wider range of destinations for passengers.

The airline said the collaboration significantly enhances its network reach by providing travellers with seamless domestic and international connections through the combined networks of the three carriers.

Under the agreement, Saudia will provide access to seven international and 13 domestic destinations, while Flynas will add eight international and six domestic destinations, offering greater travel flexibility across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond.

Through Saudia’s network, passengers can connect from international destinations including Amman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Cairo, Dubai, Kuwait City and Los Angeles, as well as domestic destinations such as Jeddah, Abha, Madinah and Tabuk.

Flynas will further expand connectivity through international services from Addis Ababa, Karachi, Giza, Tashkent and Sohag, alongside domestic routes serving cities including Jizan, Najran, Dammam and Jeddah.

The new arrangements will allow passengers travelling from various locations across Saudi Arabia to connect through Riyadh and Dammam to SriLankan Airlines’ daily flights to Colombo. Travellers will also gain onward access to destinations across the airline’s wider international network.

SriLankan Airlines currently operates daily services from both Riyadh and Dammam to Colombo, catering to growing demand for business, leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) travel between the two countries.

Commenting on the development, Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Commercial at SriLankan Airlines, said the partnership marks an important step in expanding the airline’s footprint in Saudi Arabia while strengthening links to key destinations in the Middle East, Africa and North America.

“Working together with Saudia and Flynas enables us to offer customers smoother connections from multiple regional and international destinations into Sri Lanka and beyond,” he said.

Manager Saudi Arabia, Thusitha Wickramasinghe, said the collaboration would provide passengers with greater convenience, expanded travel choices and seamless journeys across the combined networks of the three airlines.

SriLankan Airlines currently connects passengers to 131 destinations across 63 countries through its own operations and codeshare partnerships, while operating direct services to 34 destinations worldwide. Its network covers Europe, Australia, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the Far East.

The airline operates an all-Airbus fleet comprising A330-200, A330-300 and A320/A321 aircraft.

Source: Daily Mirror