Sri Lankan Minister says national carrier looking at a joint venture partnership to expand operations
Tourism Development Minister of Sri Lanka, John Amaratunga has stated that Sri Lanka’s national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, is looking at finding a joint venture partner by end 2018 and will then resume flight to Europe.
“Unfortunately, the national carrier has stopped flights to Europe,” Amaratunga has reportedly said at a forum organized by the University of Colombo recently.
“Before end of the year, the cabinet is determined to go ahead with a joint venture with a world leading airline and get back to European destinations.”
The Minister has said the Sri Lankan government wanted to further increase the fleet of the airline.
SriLankan Airlines had scrapped all routes to Europe except London, in a bid to cut losses and make it easier to find a partner.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is on a continuous growth path and the expansion of operations of the country’s national carrier would undoubtedly be a boost to the tourism industry. The Sri Lankan government is in the process of finding a corporate partner to set up the joint venture. Hence, foreign companies engaged in the aviation sector could explore possibilities of joining hands with SriLankan Airlines. Given the government’s move to boost the domestic aviation industry, the respective company could also play a role in the domestic aviation sector as well.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20181010/Z_4 |