A new codeshare agreement between SriLankan Airlines, airberlin the second largest airline in Germany and its subsidiary NIKI was announced on July 02nd 2015, paving the way for increased tourism potential between Sri Lanka, Germany and Austria.
The three airlines are set to offer daily codeshare flights between Berlin, Vienna and Sri Lanka via Abu Dhabi, which are now available for sale.
airberlin and NIKI will apply their flight numbers to SriLankan Airlines' daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Colombo, whilst SriLankan Airlines’ customers can now travel on airberlin and NIKI flights to Berlin-Tegel and Vienna via Abu Dhabi, as a result of the codeshare agreement.
Head of Worldwide Sales of SriLankan Airlines, Mr Lal Perera said, “SriLankan Airlines is confident that our new codeshare with airberlin and NIKI will provide a much needed boost for tourism between Sri Lanka, Germany and Austria, which will benefit customers of the three airlines. Holidaymakers and business travellers alike will enjoy faster and more convenient connectivity between Colombo, Berlin and Vienna via the daily flights operated by SriLankan between Abu Dhabi and Colombo”.
He further stated, “With Germany being one of the mainstays of our European operations for decades, the codeshare with airberlin will further consolidate our direct flights from Frankfurt, which has long been a popular route for German tourists, who form a vital part of Sri Lanka’s traditional tourism generating markets in Europe. These new routes will create more travel options for a greater flow of travellers to the Island from the gateways in Berlin and Vienna in Austria and also for Sri Lankan citizens to fly to these cities with seamless connectivity”.
Mr Stefan Pichler, CEO airberlin said, “Sri Lanka is a fascinating tourist destination that is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among German holidaymakers, as evidenced by the ever-growing visitor numbers of recent years. We're therefore relying on our new codeshare partner and are confident that there will be strong demand for these flights in German-speaking countries".
SriLankan Airlines also codeshares to Munich in Germany with Etihad Airways, whilst the new codeshare with airberlin and NIKI will add a third point in Germany as well as the Austrian capital of Vienna to the Airline’s global network.