lkdood
03-08-2010, 04:32 PM
Allegations that Oman Air is attempting to sabotage the business of SriLankan Airlines have been described as “baseless” by the Middle Eastern carrier.
The accusations were fuelled by delays in the launch of Oman Air’s route between Muscat and Colombo, which apparently led to Oman Civil Aviation Authority threatening to cancel its bi-lateral agreement with Sri Lanka – therefore restricting SriLankan Airlines’ ability to fly over Omani airspace.
Oman Air’s CEO Peter Hill attributed the delays to a misunderstanding that had since been resolved by the government of Sri Lanka, with the airline’s Muscat-Colombo flights now in operation.
"At the time we requested landing rights in Sri Lanka, the national airline was already enjoying rights in Muscat. There was a misunderstanding and that was rectified and now we are back in Sri Lanka. The stories in the media were baseless and all allegations of sabotage are untrue,” he stated at a press conference last week.
“The bi-lateral agreement was on a government to government level. When Sri Lanka refused to grant us the necessary routes, the state of Oman reacted. Besides, SriLankan does our ground handling, catering and we have a bilateral agreement to uplift each other’s air tickets,” he added.
arabiansupplychain (http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/article-3798-oman-air-rejects-srilankan-airlines-sabotage-claim/)
The accusations were fuelled by delays in the launch of Oman Air’s route between Muscat and Colombo, which apparently led to Oman Civil Aviation Authority threatening to cancel its bi-lateral agreement with Sri Lanka – therefore restricting SriLankan Airlines’ ability to fly over Omani airspace.
Oman Air’s CEO Peter Hill attributed the delays to a misunderstanding that had since been resolved by the government of Sri Lanka, with the airline’s Muscat-Colombo flights now in operation.
"At the time we requested landing rights in Sri Lanka, the national airline was already enjoying rights in Muscat. There was a misunderstanding and that was rectified and now we are back in Sri Lanka. The stories in the media were baseless and all allegations of sabotage are untrue,” he stated at a press conference last week.
“The bi-lateral agreement was on a government to government level. When Sri Lanka refused to grant us the necessary routes, the state of Oman reacted. Besides, SriLankan does our ground handling, catering and we have a bilateral agreement to uplift each other’s air tickets,” he added.
arabiansupplychain (http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/article-3798-oman-air-rejects-srilankan-airlines-sabotage-claim/)