By Hiran H. Senewiratne
FitsAir, part of Fits Aviation Pvt. Ltd., a member of the prestigious Aberdeen Holdings Group of companies, will launch a low cost airline in Sri Lanka. It will take off by launching commercial operations on October 5, the company’s Vice President, Passenger Services Peter Hill said.
‘At present Sri Lanka is going through a major economic crisis but we are looking at it in a positive way and that is why we launched this budget airline here. However, though outside factors for the industry are beyond our control, we are quite optimistic about operating in Sri Lanka, Hill told a media conference held at the Colombo Club at Hotel Taj Samudra yesterday.
Hill being a veteran professional and top aviation expert said that they are operating with three flights which have 152 economy class seats and eight economy plus seats, all hired on dry lease for this purpose. The technical and cabin crew are all Sri Lankan and comprise a unique blend of seasoned professionals and fresh fully -qualified young males and females, he said.
“From the outset, FitsAir had been designed to provide affordable scheduled air travel to customers operating between Sri Lanka and selected destinations within the SAARC, the GCC and South East Asia, he added.
“FitsAir will cater to the needs of the modern Sri Lankan traveler who wants competitive fares and in- flight services that are efficient without any frills. This will be combined with options of baggage allowance, where you do not pay for the weight of baggage which you carry and where there is no obligation to pay the full fare if your baggage is less in weight, Hill explained.
Hill added: ‘The premise is that we do not want to waste a passenger’s time, money or energy in the process of travelling. FitsAir, due to its pricing competitiveness, will make air travel a viable option for many Sri Lankans.
‘A free checked-in baggage allowance of 30 kg will be provided to all customers and a free carry-on bag of 7 kgs. Fits Air will also offer reduced fares for baggage of no more than 20 kgs. Passengers can purchase excess baggage at the airport subject to space availability.
‘The initial routes will take passengers weekly to Dubai, Male and Trichy. It is expected that those destinations will rapidly increase to daily frequencies.
‘We see several destinations in South India being introduced during 2023. Other key cities within SAARC are being studied as are points in South East Asia.
‘The airline has been operating through its predecessor, Expo Aviation, predominantly in the cargo sector for the past 25 years. A year ago the owners decided on the scheduled regional passenger market and now have a fleet of three Airbus A320-200 aircraft in its fleet.’