Sri Lanka Airlines is the 'World’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean’

SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka's National Carrier and a member of the Oneworld alliance, has once again won the prestigious title of ' World's Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean ' at the World Travel Awards Grand Final Ceremony in Muscat, Oman. Also nominated was the airline for the titles ' World's Leading Airline, ' ' World's Leading Airline-Business Class, ' ' World's Leading Airline – Economy ' and ' World's Leading Cultural Airline. '

Chief Executive Vipula Gunatilleka of SriLankan Airlines said, "This award reaffirms the success of our consistent efforts to consolidate the Indian Ocean region. Our expansion activities are compliant with market demands, and in the coming months, we expect a few more connectivity additions. Our global connectivity across other central regions has always made us a popular choice for travelling via our Colombo hub to and from the Indian Subcontinent.

Since 2016, the airline has been defending the coveted title, and at the WTA Asia Oceania ceremony in October this year, the airline won the title of ' Asia's Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean. ' The award demonstrates the presence of SriLankan in the South Asian region, strongly supported by its connectivity of 124 weekly flights to and from 11 Indian cities. The Maldives was the extended home market of Sri Lanka with 21 flights a week connecting to Malé, facilitating leisure seekers from its extensive network of Middle East, Europe, Far East, and Australia. SriLankan also developed the first airline to connect South Maldives ' Gan Island with the world, making it the only airline operating in the Maldives from two points.

Air Austral, Air France, Air India, were the other contestants to the award. Oneworld alliance, data, JW Marriot, Changi Global Airport, Hilton London Heathrow Airport, England, Bear Grylls Survival Academy, Armani Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, UAE, and Star Clippers were the other winners.

The World Travel Awards, celebrating this year's 26th anniversary, was established in 1993 to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence across all essential travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. Today the brand of the World Travel Awards is globally recognised as the ultimate hallmark of excellence in the industry. In 2019, the World Travel Awards Grand Tour featured regional gala ceremonies in North America and the Caribbean (Jamaica), Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Africa & the Indian Ocean (Mauritius), Europe (Madeira, Portugal), Latin America (La Paz, Bolivia) and Asia & Oceania (Phu Quoc, Vietnam).

OSL Take:  Sri Lanka’s airport and aviation industry are currently undergoing a facelift with the government of Sri Lanka, giving prominence to the development and upliftment of the country’s airports, including the main international airport in the island. Sri Lanka’s national carrier is also undergoing a restructuring program. The airline is also on the lookout for a foreign investor to form a joint venture operation for the airline. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean region, the ease of doing business environment, and the strong trade ties with foreign nations have made Sri Lanka the ideal business destination in the South Asian region. All this indicates the growing business/investment potential in Sri Lanka’s airport and aviation industry.

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