SRI LANKA’S NATIONAL AIRLINE TAKES OVER ROUTE FROM MIHIN
(Posted 12th October 2016)
Mihin Lanka, Sri Lanka’s second state owned airline but of a low cost concept, commenced flights between Colombo and Mahe in November 2013, almost three years ago to the day. This choice was made as apparently national airline Sri Lankan had set its eyes initially on a connection to Nairobi with a stop in the Seychelles, but this seems to have gotten stuck in regulatory hurdles vis a vis fifth freedom rights on the sector into Nairobi, something Kenyan regulators are known to loath.
Subsequently was the decision made in Colombo to have LCC Mihin Lanka take on the route, with traffic from across its own but also select points of the Asian network of Sri Lankan feeding into the initial twice a week service.
That was soon upped to three flights a week and information available from the archipelago suggests that the services operate with an average loadfactor of 60 percent.
Changes in Sri Lanka’s aviation policies underway now however will see the two separate but state owned airlines merge and as a result will national airline Sri Lankan take over the route between Colombo and Mahe effective November this year.
This means effectively a change of the livery of the aircraft but the appearance of Sri Lankan, a member of the oneworld alliance, will no doubt lead to a renewed marketing drive to sell Seychelles as a destination across the network of the national airline.
Mihin’s last flight will be operated on the 29th of October and Sri Lankan will then initially raise the number of services to four a week, until returning to three again by the end of January when festive season travel has come to an end.
More information about Destination Seychelles can be found via www.seychelles.travel
