Mihin Lanka to increase flights to Seychelles |07 July 2014

Mihin Lanka has announced its intention of putting on more flights on the Seychelles-Colombo route due to rising demand.

This was officially made public by the airline’s chairman and chief executive Nishantha Ranatunga and its general manager for the Seychelles branch Sandy Kellar during the recent official opening of the Mihin Lanka office in Victoria by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

This was during President Rajapaksa’s second official visit to Seychelles at the end of June. Vice-President Danny Faure was also present.
Mr Ranatunga also explained how the airline started six months back and what they are offering today, saying there has been a big development in terms of the carrier.
 
“We have introduced the Business Class and so far we have booked flights and are planning to increase it (the frequency) to three or four in time to come. We are quite pleased with the performance,” said Mr Ranatunga.

He also noted that there has been a growth in the airline’s travel business, especially from Seychelles and development in terms of passenger numbers and also lots of cargo coming in from Sri Lanka like fresh fruit and vegetables to name some.

Mr Ranatunga also said the partnership does not only enable travellers to enjoy a combination of Mihin Lanka flights and Seychelles as a destination but also helps promote a strong bond between the peoples of Seychelles and Sri Lanka and the growth of both countries’ economy. He also said as we move towards the future this partnership will increase business activities with Seychelles and growth of the airline at large.

He went on to thank the Mihin Lanka team here, the government and the people of Seychelles.
The general manager for the Mihin Lanka branch in Seychelles, Sandy Kellar, gave a more detailed situation on the ground while highlighting how the airline has progressed since its set up here in November last year.

The capacity of our cabin sector which was only about 40 to 50 percent is now almost 70 percent. Seychelles is one of the destinations making a profit and we thank the Seychelles government, the Air Seychelles ground handling services and the airport for their support.

Mr Kellar also hailed the 100 percent departure turnaround as the airline has never had any delays and mentioned the staff achievement since then.
“We started with about three staff and now we have eight. We are looking for a further additional flight because we have only two flights a week at the moment -- on Tuesdays and Saturdays,” said Mr Keller.

Mr Kellar also said the newly launched Mihin Lanka Business Class is picking up and it is the same situation on all the Mihin Lanka sectors as there are more business people travelling to places like Indonesia and Bangladesh to name some.