SriLankan drops Zurich, Rome, Milan in off-peak season

SriLankan Airlines yesterday announced certain capacity adjustments to its European route network, taking into consideration the rise in fuel and operational costs and economic indicators in the EU region.

It said taking current travel trends into consideration, the airline will cancel flights to Zurich, Switzerland during the off-peak from 1 May to 26 June and operate from 27 June until 31 August 2012.
Similarly, SriLankan’s Rome and Milan services will be cancelled during off-peak between 5 May and 26 June and will operate from 27 June until 9 September 2012.
“Changes are being gradually introduced in view of the commitments already made to passengers during the peak period and to facilitate the airline’s trade partners to adjust to the changes,” the national carrier said.
SriLankan will continue to review its operations to Switzerland and Italy and directed by forecasts, travel trends and developments in the Eurozone, to identify commercial viability, so that flights can be recommenced in these markets at an opportune time.

The airline continues to serve its traditional gateways of London, Paris and Frankfurt which serve a large clientele that fly direct and beyond to several destinations in Europe and the Americas.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), a decline in travel and tourism of 0.3% is expected across the European Union in 2012, although it will be propped up by the growth in newer emerging economies in the eastern bloc as well as Russia. As austerity measures are introduced in some countries, consumer spending is expected to reduce.