SriLankan Airlines is evaluating the situation with regard to the coronavirus outbreak in China and the load factor in deciding the number of frequencies to the top travel destination, SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage told Sunday Observer Business on Friday.
The national carrier reduced frequencies to China following the outbreak of the deadly virus that has brought death to over 1,500 people in China while spreading to over 26 countries. “We will look into passenger demand and act accordingly,” Pathirage said, adding that the number of passengers to and from China has dropped significantly in recent weeks.
Airlines slashed the number of frequencies to China and the region due to the drop in passenger demand following travel restrictions imposed by China on its citizens. Four Chinese airlines operate flights between Colombo and several Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Canton.
The number of weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai was slashed to two from four and Canton to three from seven.
SriLankan has deployed these flights to other destinations in the Middle East and Europe. According to Sri Lanka Tourism data there has been a 40 percent drop in the number of tourist arrivals from China and a five percent slump in arrivals from other countries since January 24. Sri Lanka Tourism anticipates a major drop in the number of arrivals from China in the first half of this year. China accounts for around 350,000 arrivals to Sri Lanka each year. Around 150 million Chinese nationals had travelled overseas and around 330,000 to Sri Lanka in 2018 according to data.
The number of visitors to Sri Lanka declined 7.4 percent from a year earlier to 226,094 in January and arrivals from China dipped 15 percent to 22,363 during the same month from 26,414 in the corresponding month last year.