Sri Lanka Post to expand airmail services

AIR MAIL SERVICES: The Postal Department expects to expand their airmail service joining with more airline services.

Superintendent (Central Mail Exchange) of Postal Department P.W Lankathilaka told Daily News that the Department delivers airmail through few airlines including SriLankan and expects to increase the number of airlines to deliver mail.

‘This process will take a little time to negotiate with the airlines.

“In the airmail business, the Department needs to compete with large courier services which have their own air transportation facilities’.

‘The Department has the highest distribution power in the country. Most of the businesses send their local mail through the Postal Department and use courier services to send their foreign mail’, he said.

Meanwhile, the Department expects to increase the charges of business mail by the end of this month. The Department charges Rs 5 for sending normal mail and expects to increase the charge of business mail to Rs 15. However the charge for personal letters will remain at Rs 5.

The Department spends Rs 12 to Rs 13 to deliver a letter in the country but they charge only Rs 5. Postal charges need to be increased to cover these expenses, he said.

Today most of the businesses use mail as a marketing tool. Nearly 90% of the mail distributed by the Department are business letters and the balance is personal letters, he said.

(AS)