Air Sial’s flights to Sri Lanka will
lead to lower fares
The introduction of direct flights
by Pakistan's private airline, Air Sial, between Colombo and Islamabad is
expected to lead to a reduction in air ticket prices, according to Sri Lankan
High Commissioner for Pakistan, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne. Currently,
there are no direct flights operating between Colombo and Islamabad, forcing
Sri Lankans to travel via Dubai or Doha Qatar with costly and lengthy transit
flights, or to take the longer land route from Lahore or Karachi.
Wijegunaratne emphasized the need to
increase connectivity on this route, noting that SriLankan Airlines lacks
aircraft for such operations, resulting in expensive tickets due to monopoly. A
direct flight from Colombo to Islamabad would significantly reduce travel time
to just 3.5 hours, a factor recognized by the Pakistan government, leading to
the approval granted to Air Sial under the National Aviation Policy 2023.
Read More Pakistan’s
Air Sial starts international operations with first flight to Jeddah
Air Sial, inaugurated in December
2020, has been authorized to operate flights to various destinations including
China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Kuwait.
Initially focusing on Buddhist countries, the Karachi-based carrier expanded
its international operations to Saudi Arabia in 2023, followed by Oman.
Source: https://economynext.com/