SriLankan Airlines achieves record passenger revenue
Colombo, April 16: SriLankan Airlines, the flag carrier of the island nation, on Monday said it had achieved a record annual passenger revenue of $830 for the 2017-18 fiscal, the highest ever in the company's 38-year history.
In a statement, the airline said the revenue came as a result of its recent expansion to several new destinations such as Hyderabad (India), Gan Islands (Maldives) and Melbourne with additional frequencies to popular cities in its network, reports Xinhua news agency.
Both passenger and cargo divisions exceeded their annual target, enabling the SriLankan Airlines Group to exceed the overall annual revenue target.
SriLankan Airlines CEO Captain Suren Ratwatte said this was the first instance of the airline achieving its annual revenue target since Emirates left as its managing partner 10 years ago.
"This comes at a turbulent time for the industry when most airlines are facing difficulty maintaining their yields due to intense competition. SriLankan has just completed a year of significant expansion with minimal erosion on yields and ended the year comfortably exceeding the revenue target," Ratwatte said.
The airline said the year had been one of transformation in which it inducted four brand new fuel efficient narrow-bodied aircraft to the fleet, becoming the first A321neo aircraft operator in Asia.
A new Board of Directors was also appointed last month to accelerate the restructuring process and create the enabling environment to proceed with entering into a Public-Private-Partnership with a strategic investor.
In February, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena appointed a special Presidential Commission to investigate alleged large-scale frauds and malpractices in SriLankan Airlines, after the company recorded severe losses.
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Anti-Waqf law protests: Pleas in SC seek court-monitored probe into WB violence
New Delhi (PTI): Two petitions in the Supreme Court have sought a court-monitored probe into the violence in West bengal over the newly-enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act.
Fresh incidents of Waqf law-related violence rocked Bhangar area in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on April 14, even as police claimed the law and order situation in the previous riot epicentre of Murshidabad remained largely under control.
One PIL was filed by lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha seeking the court to set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the cases of violence.
Another plea was filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari seeking the constitution of a five-member judicial enquiry commission headed by a former apex court judge to investigate the violence in the state.
One of the pleas sought a direction to the state government to file a report in the top court on the violence aside from the directions for protecting people's lives and properties.
The Calcutta High Court recently ordered the deployment of central forces in violence-hit Murshidabad district.
At least three people were killed and hundreds were rendered homeless in communal violence in parts of Murshidabad district, mainly Suti, Samserganj, Dhulian and Jangipur, on April 11 and 12 during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
