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SriLankan Airlines considers new flights to Australia & the Middle East

Recent financial losses may have prompted Sri Lanka's flag carrier to consider expanding its network to include potentially profitable routes to the Middle East and Australia.

Recent financial losses may have prompted Sri Lanka’s flag carrier to consider expanding its network to include potentially profitable routes to the Middle East and Australia.

The chatter comes less than a month after a Central Bank annual report found SriLankan Airlines had experienced an operating loss of Rs.14.1 billion (AU$2.9 million) in 2016.

Although the report attributed losses to aircraft maintenance and leases, the carrier is allegedly looking at new sources of revenue that could include deals with private investors and new services.

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Among the new flights is a direct route between Melbourne and Colombo, which the Australian Business Traveller says will launch later this year.

The publication revealed that the carrier is planning to commence operations to Victoria’s capital with a four times weekly service on the Airbus A330.

When the Colombo-Melbourne flight takes off, it will be the airline’s first direct route to Australia in years and will meet growing demand among Aussies to visit Sri Lanka, a 2017 hot spot.

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Meanwhile, the carrier’s bosses described the Middle East as a “significant source market” at last week’s Arabian Travel Market, and are looking at new routes across the region.

Currently, the airline operates daily services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Bahrain and Kuwait, but is considering new cities based on demand.

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