Sri Lanka amends air deal

Grants 5th Freedom from Manila Clark

July 21, 2011

Manila - The Philippines forged a new Air Service Agreement (ASA) with West Asian Country Sri Lanka in a bid to make the air deal financially feasible with airlines.

Under the new deal, flights between Manila and Colombo will be increased to four (4)times a week from the present two (2) using Airbus 330 seat numbers as coefficients. An Airbus 320 aircraft doesn't have the range to fly to Colombo, the Sri Lankan Capital, and vice versa, without technical stops for refueling usually at Bangkok.

“The new agreement is expected make any services that the respective airlines of both countries may plan to operate in the future more viable,” Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) executive director Carmelo Arcilla said.

There are no direct or connecting flights of airlines between the two countries.

CAB also agreed to remove restrictions on the number of flights to points outside Manila. The Philippine air panel granted Sri Lanka “fifth freedom” rights from points outside Manila to Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

With the new agreement, Sri Lankan airlines will now be able to pick up passengers from points like Manila-Clark, Cebu and Davao for destinations to the Southeast Asian cities mentioned in line with the “open skies” policy implemented by ASEAN throughout the entire Southeast Asian region.

2 comments:

  1. "will be increased to four times a week from the present two" ??
    I cannot find any direct flights at all. Who is suppoesed to operate "the present two" ?

    Best regards,
    Propfan

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  2. There were no flights at all but there was an agreement to fly twice a week first entered in December 18, 1976.

    35 years later, and still no flight.

    SriLankan Airlines is interested to fly three times a week on a A330 to Manila sometime next year, thus the amendment.

    SriLankan added three new destinations to its network in the far east to include Shanghai, Kochi and Guangzhou. This year the airline will take its first flight to Moscow.

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