Conquering the skies:

Heli Tours seeks new horizons

By Shirajiv SIRIMANE

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) played a key and decisive role in ending the 30-year conflict in the island. Heli Tours, a strategic business unit of SLAF, and involved in the air passenger transport sector, is once again set to make a benchmark, this time in the domestic aviation sector.

Reaping the benefits of peace, Heli Tours has taken a novel initiative to create a private company and spread its wings further to meet the growing demand for domestic air travel. For the first time, Heli Tours is also planning to launch international charter flights beyond the Maldives.

Heli Tours, which was the only operator within Sri Lanka's air space that could operate to any destination within Sri Lanka, with safety and reliability, during the dark era of the conflict re-launched its scheduled air passenger service soon after the ending of the humanitarian operation with flights to Jaffna.

To cater to the growing demand and keeping in mind the convenience of passengers in providing a better customer service, Heli Tours will relocate its office to Colombo 3 tomorrow. The modern premises, located opposite the Abans Complex, will provide the opportunity to create a niche market. "Passengers would now be able to walk in to our office without any security hassles and purchase air tickets," said Wing Commander Dayal Wijerathne.

To make Heli Tours even more accessible, the company will also launch a website soon so that passengers could book tickets online.

"We have ambitious plans which we will launch under the guidance of Air Force Commander Roshan Gunatilleke. We are also looking at launching a cargo flight from Colombo to Jaffna soon," he said.

Heli Tours was the brainchild of Air Marshal Paddy Mendis and was incorporated in 1972 as a strategic business unit of the Sri Lanka Air Force to cater to the growing air travel and tourism segment in Sri Lanka.

During this era, only Air Ceylon was operating international flights and there was no domestic air operator to promote travel and tourism in Sri Lanka. The challenge was taken up by the SLAF as a military institution whose core competency was aviation. The SLAF was renowned globally for its competence and skills in operational safety. During a time when the Government of Sri Lanka required investments in aviation to promote tourism and domestic air travel, the SLAF took up the challenge admirably and took it upon itself to assist the Government on its peace time development process.

An aircraft used for Heli Tours operations.

"We are now focusing our attention on being a more private oriented airline operation and are considering launching flights to South Asian destinations," Wijerathne said. Heli Tours already operates charter flights to the Maldives.

He also disclosed plans to purchase new aircraft to expand their operations as and when the demand increases. "We are looking at servicing new destinations to cater to the increasing demand for air transportation," he added.

Sigiriya too is one of their destinations with the latest addition being Anuradhapura. "We will also introduce agents' commissions soon," the Wing Commander said.

Heli Tours is also expected to create another historic milestone when it eventually becomes the first domestic aviation body to introduce scheduled flights using helicopters.

Recently, by venturing in to offshore aircraft operations in supporting oil exploration in Sri Lankan waters, the airline also became the first local aviation body to support such activity amidst tough competition from foreign aviation companies.

Heli Tours has been a key player in promoting Sri Lanka's tourism for the last 25 years despite its main role of safeguarding the skies of Sri Lanka.

There were periods when Heli Tours was the only operator that could link the Jaffna peninsula as an air travel agent despite threats.

With competitive rates, Heli Tours has reiterated its commitment to continue its people-oriented focus.

It aims at providing the maximum facilities to customers, concurrently assisting the growth of State income.

Heli Tours' ticket counters are established at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Air Force Headquarters, Jaffna, Ratmalana and Trincomalee. Their flights take off from the Ratmalana air base.