British Airways today announced that it will cease its operations onwards to Colombo from March 28 next year.
Services to Male will re-commence for winter 2015, but British Airways will cease to operate flights onwards to Colombo.
With SriLankan Airlines recently joining oneworld, customers in Sri Lanka will still be able to enjoy the benefits of British Airways’ extensive network of flights to Europe and North America, connecting on from the direct SriLankan Airlines flight to London Heathrow.
Christopher Fordyce, Regional Commercial Manager, British Airways, South Asia, said, “The decision to suspend flights between Colombo and London has been a difficult one to make. We constantly assess all our global routes and take appropriate steps, as needed. The Colombo route is not making a profitable contribution to our business and we are unable to sustain it.
“British Airways will continue flying between London Gatwick and Male, however, the service will be operational only during the winter schedule to cater to the high leisure travel demand.”
British Airways is in the process of contacting all affected customers, who will be offered a full refund. The premium airline is also in the process of seeking out solutions to assist as many customers as possible in making alternative arrangements. Customers who have booked through travel agents may contact their agents directly.
British Airways would like to apologise to the customers affected by these changes and would like to thank the airport authorities, local government, tourist organisations and people of Sri Lanka for their support.
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Ushering a new era in Sri Lanka's airfreight industry, the national carrier's cargo arm, SriLankan Cargo signed e-AWB (air waybills) agreements with four of its top customers, September 10.
At a time when the industry is increasingly adopting sustainable and cost-effective practices to enhance operational efficiency, International Air Transport Association (IATA) views this as the first step towards a paper-free air cargo, involving fewer stakeholders.
The air waybill is the most important transportation document in the cargo operations, which contains the details of the shipper, consignee, airport of origin/destination, number of pieces, weight and the nature of goods.
Currently, the cargo industry relies heavily on paper documentation, which results in increasing freight costs and lengthening processing and transportation time. A freight shipment requires over 30 different paper documents and the paper air way-billing system requires that each shipment carries one such document whereas under the E-AWB system, an electronic contract between SriLankan Cargo and the freight forwarding customer replaces paper documentation.
The new system allows the airlines and freight forwarders to sign a single standard agreement once with IATA to enter into e-AWB agreements with all parties, without having to sign numerous bilateral agreements.
Initiated by the IATA, as a progressive solution, E-AWB avoids repeating data keying and reduces cargo delays due to missing or illegible paper AWBs. It also allows one to detect errors prior to the submission of physical freight, access Real Time AWB information and track status of the shipments.
Absence of paper usage eliminates the cost of purchasing and printing of paper, space for storage and archiving and noticeably reduces the waiting time for processing papers. In terms of data safety, E-AWB has been proven the more reliable option as the automated system facilitates error detection and cuts down the risk of losing documents.
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What brought you into music?
I got into music by accident. Went to a vocal trainer called Kevin Leo who thought I had natural ability and started to mentor me. When he met my sister one day he thought we would be great as a group and singing with my sister has given me some of the best experiences of my life.
How would you define your style of singing?
I think of myself as a soul singer because I sing from my heart. But I have a lot of grit and power in my voice which I think comes across as quite aggressive at times. I don't know how others perceive what I do. I guess you could define it as raw.
It's hard to break into the scene here because everyone is just into hearing people sing covers. I think it's about time we started to produce and perform more original music that we could take to the world platform. We have world class singers in this country.
Who are your biggest inspirations?
My biggest inspirations are my family especially my mother and sister. They are strong powerful and talented women who inspire me to be the same.
What does music mean to you?
Music means the world to me. My passion for music comes from deep within. It was something I cut out of my life for years when I was struggling with the loss of my father and brother. Getting connected to music again has made me feel alive and I know they would be so proud seeing that I am singing again.
If there was one thing you could do to change the mindset of people in this country who think "musicians are those who have nothing better to do", what would it be?
I don't believe in trying to force people to change their opinions. However what I would say is everyone has a song that has touched them in one way or another and that is because of musicians like us who decided to share our experience with the world. That has to be worth something in my opinion.
How do you connect with the audience?
I usually connect with the audience by cracking jokes or making fun of myself. I think it's important to look comfortable on stage so that your audience is at ease. Laughter always makes people drop their guard so that's usually how I connect.
Your most memorable gig?
One of the most memorable gigs was in Africa. It was in front of 10,000 people with my sister and Fela Kuti's original band.
Tell me about about the competition you were a part of?
I was scouted to audition for the X factor in the UK last year. It was definitely one of the most nerve-racking experiences I have been through. Although I didn't get as far as I would have hoped, the experience gave me the confidence to start singing again and for that I am greatful.
Advice to musicians who are struggling to make it into the scene?
Advice to those who are trying to make it. Follow your heart. Don't be discouraged by those who say you won't make it. And finally enjoy the journey and not the destination. It doesn't matter if you make it or not. You will have an amazing time trying to find out.
Text by Reihan Stephen
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Indian police arrested two persons who stoned the SriLankan Airlines booking office in Tiruchi on Saturday evening.
P. Udayakumar, 35, district coordinator of the Makkal Janayaga Kudiarasu Katchi, and V. Sathiakumaran, 28, district organiser of the Tamil Nadu Maanavar Koottamaippu, entered the office posing as customers. All of a sudden, they threw stones on the glass panes and raised slogans against the Sri Lankan government for an article critical of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa posted on the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry’s website.
Police personnel, who were posted in the area in view of the agitation by the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, nabbed them. Both were remanded in custody.
Earlier in the day, nine volunteers of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam staged a black flag demonstration in front the office. They were taken into custody and released in the evening.
Suicide attempt
A 52-year-old woman functionary of the AIADMK, attempted suicide in Salem on Saturday by consuming sleeping pills, allegedly upset at the article.
Vijayalakshmi, ward 16 deputy secretary of the party’s women’s wing, was found unconscious at her residence at Peramanur.
Her relatives admitted her to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital. Doctors said she was out of danger.
A note recovered from her room said she was upset at the article that tarnished the Chief Minister’s image. – The Hindu
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SriLankan Airlines yesterday said that its flights were not using Ukrainian airspace when travelling to Europe.
In response to A question whether the airline had diverted its path following Thursday's Malaysian flight crash, a spokesman for the Srilankan said, “As a policy our flights are not operating airspaces, where there are conflicts. In this case our flights are taking different path when travelling to Europe, and we don't use the Ukrainian airspace.”
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