Category: Aviation

KUALA LUMPUR, June 10, 2013 (AFP) – Malaysian long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X said Monday it plans to use proceeds from a public listing to more than triple its fleet in the next four years to meet demand in Asia-Pacific.Aviation tycoon Tony Fernandes said the long-haul arm of budget giant AirAsia hopes to raise up […]

May 24, 2013 (LBO) – Dubai-based Emirates Airlines said it is increasing frequencies to Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo by three a week to 31, to cope with rising demand. “The demand for seats on the Colombo Dubai sector is increasing, and these additional flights will enable more UK and USA bound passengers to connect with […]

May 10, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will tender a concession to operate a duty free shopping complex in the newly opened Mattala airport, aviation minister Priyankara Jayaratne said, in a move that could draw more passengers to the destination. “I have instructed officials to call for tenders to set up the duty free shops […]

May 09, 2013 (LBO) – Travel agents said they have stopped issuing tickets on Air Arabia, a UAE based budget carrier, in the Sharjah to Mattala sector, after the airline halted flights to the new airport.Aviation ministry secretary Ravindra Ruberu said flights have been temporarily suspended but they are likely to resume by August. Air […]

May 8, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines said it carried 101,000 tonnes of freight in the year to March 2013, up 15 percent from a year earlier, the highest since 2008.SriLankan said it manages a 20,000 square meter cargo centre in Katunayake and 5,000 square feet facility at Mattala airport. The airline said revenues […]

May 05, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airilines said it had signed up Wirecard, a German payment gateway operator which will make online bookings faster and safer, as part of moves to join oneoworld, a global alliance of carriers. Wirecard provides payment processing, card issuing and risk management services to more than 10,000 companies worldwide. […]

Apr 29, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines expects to boost freight volumes especially on long haul flights as well as cut running costs, with the acquisition of 13 wide-body Airbus aircraft, chief executive Kapila Chandrasena said.In the year to March 2012, SriLankan’s passenger factor rose to 79.1 percent from 76.7 percent a year earlier, […]

Apr 28, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines will acquire seven Airbus A350-900 and six A330-300 aircraft to upgrade its product and cut costs starting from October 2014, chief executive Kapila Chandrasena said.SriLankan will acquire 10 aircraft from Airbus through a mix of operating and finance leases in a deal which has a ‘present value’ […]

Apr 28, 2013 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines has decided to acquire Airbus Industrie aircraft to replace its ageing wide-body fleet, a media report said. SriLankan lost 20.5 billion rupees last year but it had been getting annual capital injections of about 100 million US dollars though government bonds. SriLankan already has a fleet of younger […]

Apr 18, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines is revisiting the feasibility of re-fleeting in the wake of developments in the international aviation market, minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said.“They are re-visiting the entire feasibility,” Rambukwelle told reporters when asked whether the airline was going ahead with a plan to re-fleet the airline with new long haul […]

Apr 12, 2013 (LBO) – State-run Sri Lankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka, a budget carrier had continued to hemorrhage cash losing 21.5 billion rupees in 2012, with losses since ending Emirates management totaling 58.7 billion rupees, official data shows.Over the last two years, SriLankan has received 100 million dollars in annual tax payer capital injections. […]

Apr 11, 2013 (LBO) – British Airways will resume flights to Sri Lanka from April 15 thrice a week via Maldives using Boeing 777-200 equipment, the airline said. The airline is flying to Sri Lanka after gap of 15 years. Britain is Sri Lanka’s second largest source of tourists after India with 114,000 visitors in […]