Kaʻa lawe moku ʻO SriLankan Airlines (SLA) ke hana nei ʻo ia i ʻehiku mau mokulele ʻē aʻe i nā wahi ʻEulopa no ka lawelawe ʻana i nā kaukani o ka poʻe i hoʻopaʻa ʻia a kali ʻia e ka pilikia mokulele ma ʻEulopa.
ʻOi aku ma mua o 3,500 mau mea kaʻa e kali ana e lele i ka home e paʻa ana i loko a ma kahi o Colombo, ʻoiai ʻo 3,000 a 4,000 mau mākaʻikaʻi ma ʻEulopa e kali nei no nā mokulele i Sri Lanka, e like me nā kumu o ka ʻoihana huakaʻi.
Pono ʻo SriLankan Airlines e kāpae i nā mokulele 14 i ʻEulopa ma waena o ʻApelila 16 a me 22.
ʻOi aku a emi mai paha nā mokulele i loko a i waho o Colombo i ka mea maʻamau. Ma waho aʻe o ka hopena o nā huakaʻi a me nā ʻoihana ma ke kahua mokulele ʻo Katunayake, ʻaʻole i loaʻa i ka ʻāina ke pohō nui o ka hoʻokele waiwai ma muli o nā kaʻina huakaʻi i hoʻokō ʻia ma ʻEulopa i kēia pule.
Ua hoʻomaka nā huakaʻi ʻehiku i ka Pōʻalima a hoʻomau a hiki i ka Pōʻakolu. Ua haʻi aku ka luna nui o SriLankan Airlines ʻo Manoj Gunawardena i ka Sunday Times e hoʻolauna hou ʻia nā mokulele inā pono, me ka hoʻohui ʻana he nui nā mokulele SLA e hoʻonui i ka pinepine o nā mokulele. ʻAʻole ʻo ia e ʻōlelo e pili ana i nā poho i loaʻa, koe wale nō ka ʻōlelo ʻana e "helu mau ana ʻo SLA." ʻO SriLankan wale nō ka mokulele e lele pololei mai Sri Lanka i nā kūlanakauhale ʻEulopa.
Eia naʻe, ʻōlelo nā mea loiloi ʻoihana mokulele, ʻaʻole e manaʻo ʻia ke kumukūʻai o ka pilikia e nā mokulele wale nō akā ʻo nā ʻoihana pū kekahi e pili ana i ka huakaʻi a me ka ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi. "Ke nalowale nei nā mokulele he ʻumi kaukani kālā i kēlā me kēia lā mai nā uku o nā kaʻa, nā ʻauhau mokulele, a me nā uku pae ʻana, ʻoiai ke pili pū nei nā hale kūʻai duty-free a me nā lawelawe mokulele ʻē aʻe," wahi a kahi luna o ka ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi.
ʻAʻole i hōʻuluʻulu ʻo Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) i kāna mau poho, wahi a kahi luna BIA. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, ʻo Dileep Mudadeniya, he 3,000 a 4,000 mau mākaʻikaʻi i pale ʻia mai ka hele ʻana mai i Sri Lanka ma muli o ke kūlana mokulele ʻEulopa. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia ua manaʻolana ʻaʻole e hoʻopilikia nui ka pilikia i nā helu mākaʻikaʻi no ʻApelila 2010, me ka hoʻohui ʻana o ka poʻe hiki ʻole ke hele mai no ka hoʻomaha ma kēia manawa e kipa aku ma hope.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Mr. Mudadeniya, ʻaʻole i uhi nā mea mākaʻikaʻi i nā kumukūʻai ʻē aʻe i loaʻa i nā poʻe holo kaʻa, no ka mea he pilikia ʻole kēia. Akā ke noʻonoʻo nei nā hōkele i ka pōʻino o ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi kālā a hāʻawi i nā uku hoʻemi. "Ua kōkua nui nā hōkele," wahi āna. "ʻO ka hapa nui o ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i hoʻopaʻa ʻia ma ka wahi ʻo Negombo."
Ma kahi circular i hoʻouna ʻia ma mua o kēia pule, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Srilal Miththapala, ka pelekikena o ka Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), i ʻōlelo ʻia nā mea huakaʻi huakaʻi a me nā mea huakaʻi e hana pū ana me ka Hotels Association e "hōʻike i ka pilina" me nā poʻe mākaʻikaʻi. Ua paipai ʻia nā mea hana a me nā ʻelele e pili ana i ka THASL e uku i ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i nā uku hōkele i hāʻawi ʻia i nā poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i pae ʻia ma kahi ʻē.
ʻO Mr. Miththapala, ka mea i hoʻopaʻa ʻia ma Lākana ma muli o ka pilikia, ua hoʻi ʻo ia i Colombo ma hope o ka hopu ʻana i ka lele awakea SLA mai ke kahua mokulele ʻo Heathrow ma Lākana i ka Pōʻakolu, ʻApelila 21. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia i kona hele ʻana i Heathrow, kekahi o nā ʻO nā mokulele ʻoi loa o ka honua, ua ʻike ʻo ia ua nele. ʻAʻole i loaʻa ka lono i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o nā mokulele.
ʻO Cinnamon Grand, ka hōkele ʻo Colombo hōkū ʻelima, he helu liʻiliʻi o nā malihini i ka pule i hala. ʻO ka hapa nui o lākou mai UK. Ua ʻōlelo ka luna o ka lumi o ka hōkele ʻo Terence Fernando i koi ʻia nā malihini e noho ma muli o ke kāpae ʻana i ka mokulele e uku ana i kā lākou mau bila.
"ʻO ka mea maʻamau ke kiʻi nei ka mokulele i ka tab inā lohi nā mokulele, akā i kēia hihia e uku ka mea kūʻai aku no ka noho lōʻihi," wahi āna. ʻO ka uku haʻahaʻa no kahi lumi maʻamau ma kahi hōkele ʻo Colombo he US $75, me nā ʻauhau.
