European Passengers Are Preferring Indian Airports Over Gulf Hubs for Sri Lanka Transit

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lankan Airlines, Richard Nuttall, passengers flying between Europe and Sri Lanka are now using Indian airports as their transit points. In the past, passengers used to prefer hubs in the Gulf as transit points between Europe and Sri Lanka.

EU Travellers Preferring Indian Airports

Tourism is one of the most important industries for Sri Lanka. Every year, the country handles a lot of European tourists. Some tourists use non-stop connections between Colombo and Europe, while many of them choose connecting flights. In the past, passengers used to prefer transiting via hubs like Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi.

Now, the trend is changing with passengers now preferring Indian airports like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru as their transit points. Sri Lankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall said that for some reason, passengers have started choosing Indian airports as their connecting points. He added that if you go a few years back, passengers would only connect in India if necessary. But now, it is very common. This is a very apparent and noticeable change.

Sri Lankan Airlines has a limited European network. It has a codeshare partnership with Air India, which has an extensive European network. The Indian FSC is planning an expansion in the European region, offering more flights to Milan, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam, alongside entering into the Switzerland market.

Since the pandemic, the connecting traffic between India and Sri Lanka via Indian airports has increased by three times. Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are truly acting as hubs for this market segment. In the past few years, India has made great efforts to elevate Delhi and Mumbai as hubs, along with blocking the Gulf carriers by not providing them with additional rights.

A Tale of Networks

Sri Lankan Airlines has a limited network between Sri Lanka and Europe. Alongside the daily London operations, it is operating a triangular route connecting Colombo to both Paris and Frankfurt. The flight operates as follows: Colombo-Paris-Frankfurt-Colombo.

Codeshare partner, Air India on the other hand is operating multiple flights to Europe. It connects Delhi to 10 and Mumbai to one European city. Soon, Bengaluru will be connected to Gatwick. Under the codeshare agreement, Sri Lankan Airlines can put its IATA designation on Air India’s long-haul flights in select sectors.

Sri Lankan Airlines operates more than 80 weekly services between India and Colombo. It is aiming to increase these services by 25% by the end of this financial year. It is looking to add 1-2 more Indian destinations on the route map. The airline is gradually increasing the number of operational aircraft in its fleet which will help it to enhance the Indian network.

In addition to transit traffic, the number of tourists between India and Sri Lanka has also increased massively from 12,000 monthly in 2023 to 40,000 monthly this year. Jointly, all airlines are operating 147 weekly flights between India and Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan is looking to add more flights at the right time slots.

India and Sri Lanka have an open skies agreement, which means that airlines from both sides are allowed to operate an unlimited number of flights. According to Nuttall, in such a crowded market, Sri Lankan Airlines should be at the top or second position. If an airline ends its growth, it becomes irrelevant.

Conclusion

The initiative of the Indian Government to convert Indian airports into global hubs seems to be working. Sri Lanka is the biggest beneficiary of this. In the past few years, the number of passengers from Europe to Sri Lanka transiting via India has increased by 300%. Air India, the codeshare partner of Sri Lankan Airlines is also on an expansion spree in the European market.

What do you think about the comments of Sri Lankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall? Discuss in the comment section.