SriLankan Airlines has launched its new Serendib Lounge for Business Class travellers at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) as part of its multi-tiered development plan to make Colombo the preferred hub of South Asia.
Business Class travellers from both SriLankan and Emirates may use the new lounge, which holds up to 150 passengers while providing full-service amenities.
The lounge replaces the old Serendib and Peacock lounges and According to Peter Hill, CEO of SriLankan Airlines, the new product complements the airport’s rapid expansion programme that has already seen the addition of a new arrivals areas, immigration area and duty free complex.
Hill said: “The Bandaranaike International Airport is improving every day, and we are closely supporting the work of the government in developing its facilities. We are constantly seeking ways of improving our product, and this new Business Class lounge adds yet another dimension to our services that our passengers can enjoy.”
The Serendib Lounge offers a panoramic view of the airport’s apron with floor-to-ceiling viewing glass. SriLankan Catering Services provides full meals, with both hot and cold food, as well as a complete range of beverages, including beer on tap and a selection of specialty teas and coffees.
The lounge includes high-tech amenities such as specially designed armchairs that recline and swivel, four separate rest areas with fully reclining Lazy Boy armchairs for passengers with longer transit times, showers, general seating, and a separate smokers’ room.
For entertainment, there are two theatre-style giant TV screens with individual headphones at each seat. There is a full Siddhalepa massage service for all users of the lounge, provided by the Hettigoda Group.
The lounge also provides convenient communications facilities including a phone booth and personal computers with Internet access.
Hill said: “The Serendib Lounge is designed to be an area of calm amid the hustle and bustle of the busy airport. We required a world-class lounge to provide the best transit experience for our upmarket passengers, and the Serendib Lounge certainly fits the bill. Its ambience and facilities are on par with or better than other business class lounges in the region.”
In the vital Middle East and Indian subcontinent region, SriLankan has introduced daily flights from Colombo to Abu Dhabi, using wide-bodied A330 aircraft, with four of the services continuing to Doha and three to Bahrain.
SriLankan Airlines has been increasing its services throughout the Asian region, and recently announced a further stepping up of operations throughout 2005, adding to a host of Middle Eastern destinations. With nine weekly flights to the former and three to the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, and there will also be a further three early morning departures from Colombo to Dubai, bringing the weekly total to 28, including codeshare operations with Emirates.