SriLankan Airlines and Air Canada announced yesterday a code share agreement that will make flying between Sri Lanka and Canada more convenient.

"This code share between the two national carriers opens up several key points in Canada in addition to the main cities of Toronto and Montreal and will be a tremendous boost to tourism between the two countries. Additionally, Canada is home to Sri Lanka's largest expatriate community and we greatly value this opportunity to provide a seamless service to our people who live in Canada on SriLankan Airlines with our code share partner, Air Canada," said Mr. G. T. Jeyaseelan, Chief Marketing Officer, SriLankan Airlines.

"Air Canada is pleased to code share with SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, as this will enhance access from Canada to Sri Lanka," said Yves Dufresne, Vice-President Alliances, International Operations and Regulatory Affairs at Air Canada.

"The travel market between Canada and Sri Lanka has been growing at a double-digit rate and this agreement will allow customers to easily connect at our main European gateways of Frankfurt, London and Paris. The code share agreement gives us the ability to offer customers connections between Air Canada and SriLankan on a single ticket itinerary, checked-through baggage and other benefits that will create a seamless travel experience."

The new services will enhance SriLankan Airlines services by providing an extended service connecting gateway points in Frankfurt, Paris, London and Hong Kong to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and St Johns in Canada.

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international full-service airline providing scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo from 60 communities large and small across Canada to more than 175 destinations on five continents.

Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and serves 31 million customers annually. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,172 airports in 181 countries.