Though Sri Lanka appears as one of the smallest countries in the pages of an atlas, it is actually a well-developed Asian country. Sri Lanka has got a flourishing economy and a well developed transport system to support the trading and industrial activities in all parts of the country. The island nation which is situated very close to the extreme southern part of India is very well connected with different cities of the region. Beside ships Sri Lanka is connected with other major parts of India by a well-developed air transportation system. Sri Lanka has got a busy network of airlines operation not only in India but all major parts of the world. The country serves several domestic and international airlines. Srilankan Airlines is the largest and the flagship carrier of Sri Lanka. SriLankan Airlines is based at the Bandaranaike International Airport in the capital city Colombo and currently operates regular flights to different destinations in Asia, Europe and Middle-East other than all domestic destinations. SriLankan Airlines uses a trademark phrase 'You're Our World' and its logo is a peacock. In Sinhalese language a peacock is called Monara and is considered as a good Feng Shui motif signifying growth, fame and abundance. The peacock is painted green, red and orange, the symbol of wood and fire.

When it started its operation in July, 1979 its name was not SriLankan Airlines. At that time the company was known as Air Lanka and was set up by the SriLankan government after the operation of Air Ceylon collapsed in 1978. In the early days Air Lanka used to operate two Boeing 707 aircrafts, leased from Singapore Airlines. In 1980 it expanded its service and also added new aircrafts to its fleet. In 1990, Air Lanka started operating in 26 destinations and in 1992 it purchased its first Airbus A320 aircraft. Though Air Lanka was a state-owned company a part of it was owned by Emirates Airlines of Dubai as both Emirates and Air Lanka had an agreement of 10 years strategic partnership. Emirates Airlines had a stake of 40 per cent in Air Lanka and was responsible for ground handling and catering in the aircrafts. Later the Sri lankan government gave full control of investments and management decisions to Emirates Airlines. As a result, Peter Hill was appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company in 1998 and the brand Air Lanka was replaced by SriLankan Airlines.

Operations in Cochin: SriLankan Airlines started its operation from Cochin in Kerala, India after Cochin Airport got its international status and now operates regular flights from Cochin to different parts of Sri Lanka. For booking tickets in SriLankan Airlines from Cochin you may contact Translanka

Airlines Ltd, the general sales agent of SriLankan Airlines. The address is given below:

Translanka Air Travels Pvt Ltd.,
No. 39/4570, Palal Towers, Ground Floor,
M.G. Road, Ravipuram, Cochin 682 016, India
Tel: +91 48 42361666
Fax: +91 48 42361197
E-mail: cochinsales@asianetindia.com , coksz603@eth.net