Category: Aviation
Sri Lanka govt to fund Rs635Mn development of BIA
Nov 10, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers have given the go ahead to construct a new immigration hall, electronic mall and an expansion of the departure concourse at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with a total cost of 635 million rupees. Construction contract for the immigration hall and new mall construction had been awarded […]
Sri Lanka welcomes first KLM flight after nearly 20 years
Nov 08, 2016 (LBO) – KLM Royal Dutch Airlines resumed flights to Sri Lanka on 01 November with a twice-weekly service between Colombo and Amsterdam operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, a statement said. On board were KLM VIPs and Joanne Doornewaard, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka and Maldives. Throughout […]
SriLankan Airlines bans Samsung Note 7 on all aircraft
Oct 18, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s national carrier, SriLankan Airlines has imposed a total ban on the carriage and usage of ‘Samsung Note 7’ on board the SriLankan and Mihin Lanka aircraft with immediate effect. The ban comes into effect subsequent to the series of incident reported on explosions of the device when connected […]
SriLankan Airlines says loss reduced, six A320s on the way
Oct 05, 2016 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines said in the financial year ending 31st March 2016, the airline recorded a reduced loss of 9.03 billion rupees, which represents a 45 percent improvement compared to the previous year. “At the end of the last financial year, without the ‘one-off’ payment relating to cancellation of the lease […]
SriLankan to lose USD47mn during BIA runway repair
Oct 05, 2016 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines said that they would incur a revenue loss of 47 million US dollars due to the closure of Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport in 2017. “The first 3-4 months of next year would be tough for us as we will be cancelling close to 200 flights,” Capt. Suren Ratwatte, chief executive […]
SriLankan Airlines adds new routes Jakarta, Gan Island
Oct 05, 2016 (LBO) – SriLankan airlines said in a bid to boost regional routes and higher profits it will add Jakarta in Indonesia and Gan Island in Maldives to its destinations from end of October 2016. “Gan, in the Maldives, will be the first such new destination, and SriLankan will be the only international […]
SriLankan Airlines cancels Airbus deal with USD98 mln penalty
Oct 04, 2016 (LBO) – An order for four A350 aircraft that SriLankan Airlines was to take delivery of in 2016-2017 would be cancelled, the Finance Minister said Tuesday. “The loss of purchasing these four A350 air buses would have been 900 million rupees per month and if we did not reject this it would […]
Himalaya launches direct flights between Kathmandu – Colombo
Oct 03, 2016 (LBO) – Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-China Joint Venture Airline, has conducted its maiden commercial flight from Kathmandu to Colombo on 1st October 2016. With two flights a week, operating as H9 673, Himalaya will fly every Tuesday and Saturday departing from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu at 1130 hours and will arrive in […]
SriLankan Airlines renegotiates A350 contracts: report
Oct 03, 2016 (LBO) – National carrier SriLankan Airlines has re-negotiated the termination of three A350 Airbus lease contracts with airline leasing company AerCap, a media report said. The company has agreed to reduce the termination fee to 98 million dollars from 154 million dollars, a Sri Lankan Airlines official told the Sunday Times on […]
US based BlackRock shows interest in Srilankan airlines: Minister
Sep 28, 2016 (LBO) – Two global investment managers, US based BlackRock and TPG Capital, have shown interest in crisis-hit SriLankan Airlines which is looking for a partner, a minister said. “BlackRock and TPG Capital, two global investment management firms are among the interested parties in addition to some Chinese airlines,” Malik Samarawickrama, minister of […]
‘s Mattala international airport gets seven expressions of interest
Sept 26, 2016 (LBO) – The Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) has received seven offers for EOIs from mainly European-based aviation related firms, a media report said. The MRIA called for expressions of interest in June from investors to undertake investments and commercial operations in Hambantota through the Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry, the Sunday […]
Sri Lanka’s Mattala International Airport feasibility cost just Rs1mn: Harsha
Sept 23, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s previous administration has spent only one million rupees for the feasibility study of the Mattala International Airport, a Minister revealed. Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva pointed out that the then government has spent just one million rupees before wasting 350 million US dollars for setting up the […]