Category: Aviation

Jan 11, 2014 (LBO) – Malaysia-based AirAsia X, a long haul budget carrier said it will stop flying to Maldives from next month, but will continue flights to Sri Lanka four times a week.AirAsia X said it was halting Male flights due to “challenging business conditions”. “The decision to withdraw from Male was a difficult […]

SINGAPORE, February 10, 2014 (AFP) – The Asia-Pacific will require almost 13,000 new airplanes worth .9 trillion over the next 20 years, Boeing said Monday, as booming wealth in the region fuels demand for air travel.Ahead of the Singapore Airshow, the US plane maker said 12,820 extra aircraft would be needed by 2032 and that […]

Jan 31, 2014 (LBO) – Mack Air (Pvt) Ltd, a unit of Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings said it will be the general sales agent for Air France – KLM in the island from February 2014.The agency for the Netherlands-based KLM was held by Sri Lanka’s Carson Cumberbatch for 50 years, dating back from before […]

TOKYO, December 14, 2013 (AFP) – Japan and Southeast Asian countries agreed Saturday on the importance of freedom in the skies, in the first major gathering of the continent’s leaders since China ramped up regional tensions with a controversial air defence zone.The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have their own disputes with China over […]

GENEVA, December 12, 2013 (AFP) – Airlines are expected to post record profits in 2014, the International Air Transport Association said Thursday, citing sliding oil prices and mergers for the sector’s improving outlook.European airlines, meanwhile, are seen as making major progress, with profits expected to hit $3.2 billion in 2014, up from $1.7 billion this […]

WASHINGTON, 2013 (AFP) – American Airlines emerged as the world’s largest airline Monday, combining with US Airways after a hard-fought battle to overcome US competition concerns.The billion merger was first announced in February, but was held up by an antitrust lawsuit from the US government and backed by several states, worried about the combined airline’s […]

Dec 06, 2013 (LBO) – Cinnamon Air, a domestic Sri Lanka based airline said it had added a sixth destination to its network with scheduled services started to Sigiriya.One way fare is listed at 199 US dollars with a 30 percent discount for travel in December. The flight from Sri Lanka’s international airport in Katunayake […]

SYDNEY, November 26, 2013 (AFP) – Australia said Tuesday it had summoned Beijing’s ambassador to voice opposition to China’s sudden announcement of an air defence identification zone over the East China Sea. China and Japan each summoned the other’s ambassador after Beijing said Saturday it had established an Air Defence Identification Zone — which would […]

Nov 22, 2013 (LBO) – State run SriLankan Airlines had lost 15.7 billion rupees (120 million US dollars) in the first half of the 2013 financial year, a finance ministry report said. In the six months to September 2013, the airlines had posted revenues of 54.4 billion rupees and burned up 70 billion rupees in […]

Oct 31, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run SriLankan Airlines is negotiating a 250 million US dollar facility for working capital, a top official said.The carrier is looking for 4-year funding, from international markets chief executive Kapila Chandrasena said. SriLankan Airlines has mapped out an ambitious re-fleeting program involving fuel-efficient Airbus A-350 XWB and new […]

Oct 29, 2013 (LBO) – Profits at Sri Lanka’s Keells Hotels Plc rose 113 percent to 250 million rupees in the September 2013 quarter form a year earlier, helped by strong results in the Maldives, interim accounts showed. In the September quarter total revenues rose 30 percent to 2.5 billion rupees, cost of sales rose […]

Oct 28, 2013 (LBO) – Travel time to African destinations from South Asia and the Far East will be cut by around three hours through a new route from Sri Lanka via Seychelles, an official said.Asia is an aviation growth region especially in the ASEAN region with privately owned budget carriers coming on expanding fast […]