SriLankan Airlines to join oneworld, furthering its revival, and access to India for oneworld

National carrier SriLankan Airlines is betting that joining the oneworld alliance in 2013 will further its revival as the carrier continues to expand following the end of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009, which has permitted increases in tourism and GDP growth. It is this focus on Sri Lanka the carrier hopes to build, having served a decade ago as a de facto hub for India given the liberal access regime whereas India was more protective elsewhere. India's opening of its skies to the UAE and Qatar, home to powerful networks, had tremendous impact on SriLankan's network. While the carrier will grow to India, it sees its growth firmly planted in Asia and is planning a service to Seoul.

While oneworld discreetly acknowledges SriLankan is not its typical member, SriLankan does bring oneworld greater access to India, where oneworld lost out to earlier in the year with Kingfisher's prospective membership being suspended. The competitive landscape also works against oneworld's positioning in India, with Jet Airways likely to join Star Alliance in the near future.