Business News from Sri Lanka: SriLankan Airlines was adjudged the ‘Leading International Airline’ in South Asia for the third consecutive year at the South Asian Travel Awards 2019 (SATA) and also bagged the ‘Leading Airline Passenger Class – Business’ award for the third year running, beating out many top airlines in the region.
SriLankan Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Vipula Gunatilleka said: “We are delighted to once again be recognised as the airline of choice in the South Asian region. SriLankan has positioned its services to provide rapid connectivity throughout the Indian Ocean region, serving destinations throughout South Asia, the Far East, Australia and the Middle East.”
The 4th annual SATA Awards ceremony was held this year on 20 September at Amari Galle and featured airlines from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives. SATA (www.southaisantravelawards.com) is recognised by 15 national tourism bodies and travel trade organisations, and this year drew over 700 nominations for its awards in more than 50 categories ranging from airlines to many different types of hotels, destinations, airport lounges, convention centres, adventure services, destination promoters, dive centres, transport providers, houseboats, travel technology providers and tented camps.
The SATA Awards ceremony has been held twice in Sri Lanka and once in India and the Maldives. The 2020 ceremony will once again be held in the Maldives.
SriLankan has been consistently winning prestigious accolades, including being recognised with two awards at the World Travel Awards 2018 and 2019 Asia and Australasia; a prestigious Four Star Rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX); the Best Full Service Airline in Central and South Asia title at the Future Travel Experience Asia Awards; and Innovation in Commercial Airline Cabins at the In-flight Asia Pacific Awards. Its latest global accolade was the Best Marketing Innovation award from APEX.
SriLankan Airlines has a route network of 109 cities in 48 countries, including codeshare operations in partnership with the world’s finest airlines. It is firmly established as one of the leading airlines in the Indian Ocean region, being the largest carrier to both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the largest foreign airline in India. A member of the prestigious oneworld global airline partnership, SriLankan Airlines also connects travellers to over 1,000 cities in 160 countries through its oneworld partner airlines.
