India delivered an exceptional performance in 2025 for SriLankan Airlines, driven by robust demand and its strong operational footprint in the market. With 89 weekly flights across nine online points, covering key cities from north to south India, the airline maintained extensive connectivity that supported both leisure and business travel. “This comprehensive schedule ensured convenience and frequency for travelers, resulting in a significant increase in passenger numbers. The growth translated into a notable improvement in load factors across both economy and business cabins,” says Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Commercial, SriLankan Airlines.
On the yield front, the trend was softer, with overall yields under pressure due to competitive pricing and market dynamics, he adds. While revenue growth was positive, it was largely volume-driven rather than yield-led, suggesting that stimulating demand through pricing strategies played a key role. Despite these challenges, India remained a high-potential market for the airline, balancing strong traffic growth with strategic pricing to maintain competitiveness.
Tennakoon adds, “We primarily focused on strengthening the regional and international network while enhancing customer experience. Key network decisions included increasing frequencies to high-demand destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai. Additionally, for our current winter schedule, we re-introduced our weekend additional flight to London to capture growing traffic flows. These adjustments were part of a broader strategy to improve connectivity via Colombo.”
On the fleet side, the airline marked a major milestone by inducting the first wide-body aircraft in eight years, an Airbus A330-200, with plans to add more aircraft over the coming years. Product and menu upgrades complemented these moves, along with digital innovations like the AI-powered Yaana chatbot. “India will remain at the heart of our growth strategy in 2026, and the numbers speak for themselves with around 20% of Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals already coming from India, and outbound travel from the country continues to grow rapidly. We see strong potential in both leisure and MICE segments, and our goal is to make Sri Lanka the preferred short-haul destination for Indian travelers while also positioning Colombo as a convenient hub for onward connections. To achieve this, we’re actively fine-tuning our schedules to ensure seamless connectivity for travelers from India to our operating network across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and beyond,” Tennakoon says.
Together with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the airline conducted impactful roadshows across India to showcase Sri Lanka’s cultural richness, wellness retreats, and adventure experiences, while creating greater awareness of our network and connectivity advantages.