British Airways says the decision to cancel flights to Sri Lanka was not related to political issues in Sri Lanka but purely on non-profitability.

Following the recent announcement by British Airways that it was cancelling flights to Sri Lanka from next year, some diaspora groups had attempted to give the impression the move was relate to concerns over Sri Lanka’s human rights record.

However Christopher Fordyce, Regional Commercial Manager – South Asia, British Airways told The Sunday Leader in an email that the decision to suspend flights between Colombo and London was a difficult one to make and was related to non-profitability.

Fordyce said that British Airways constantly keep assessing its route network across the world and operate to cities that makes commercial sense.

“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.

Decisions about routes are affected by many different variables including customer demand, aircraft and slot availability, commercial feasibility and competition,” he added.

Meanwhile, Fordyce noted that with SriLankan Airlines recently joining ‘oneworld’, customers travelling to Sri Lanka from the UK and across the world will continue to enjoy the benefits of British Airways’ extensive network of flights to the UK.

Courtesy:The Sunday Leader