Category: Aviation

Mar 28, 2013 (LBO) – A state-run SriLankan Airlines flight has suffered a bird strike at Sri Lanka’s second international airport in Mattala after it opened, a media report said.The birds start arriving from around August during the northern hemisphere winter and leave in March and April. “Even near BIA there are two or three […]

Mar 27, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s second international airport in Mattala, has started cargo operations, with exporters offered a 10 percent discount, state-run SriLankan Airlines said.The first 900 kilograms of cargo made up garment accessories left for Chennai. SriLankan Airlines said cargo from Mattala will get a 10 percent discount and carriage to Colombo […]

Mar 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated the island’s second international airport in Mattala, Hambantota after arriving in a state-run SriLankan Airlines aircraft Monday.The Chinese financed Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, named after the president, can handle a million passengers and 45,000 tonnes cargo annually. Air Arabia, a UAE based budget carrier, […]

Mar 18, 2013 (LBO) – The opening of a second international airport in Mattala in Hambantota on March 18, strengthens Sri Lanka’s strategy to become an aviation hub, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. The airport has a 3,500 meter ‘code F’ runway capable of handling Airbus A380 aircraft. He declared March 18 as the civil aviation […]

Mar 15, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines said it will operate nine flights a week out of Sri Lanka’s second international airport in Mattala, which is opening next week while its sister budget carrier will operate two flights. SriLankan Airlines will fly twice a week to Riyadh, four times to Male, twice to Beijing […]

Mar 14, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s second international airport in Mattala is attracting interest from Airbus A380 operators, and the airport agency stands to earn more navigation fees from overflying aircraft, a top official said.Sri Lanka already earns navigation fees from aircraft overflying its flight information region, but industry analysts have said that the […]

Mar 14, 2013 (LBO) – Moves by Sri Lanka’s airport agency to woo courier airlines to the island’s second international airline was welcomed by a policy specialist who had been advocating such action.“While the volumes of air freight carried by these companies as well as others such as DHL and TNT are growing rapidly in […]

Mar 13, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is in talks with international courier airlines including UPS, Fedex and DHL to base operations at a new airport that is opening on March 18, the island’s state-run airport agency chief said.“We are talking to courier airlines, UPS, Fedex, DHL,” Prasanna Wickramasuriya, chairman of Airport and Aviation Services […]

Mar 11, 2013 (LBO) – State-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has built an aviation fuel terminal at Sri Lanka’s second international airport in Mattala, which has storage capacity of 250,000 litres, the petroleum ministry said.The airport is due to open on March 18. A ministry statement quoted petroleum minister Anura Yapa as saying that the new […]

Mar 07, 2012 (LBO) – Singapore-based budget carrier Tiger Airways said it is holding a sale on flights to Jakarta, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Ho Chi Minh City until March 13, with slashed prices to 25 other destinations including Colombo.Budget carriers use promotional fares sold ahead online as part of their sales strategy drawing […]

Mar 02, 2013 (LBO) – Air Arabia, a UAE based budget carrier will launch twice weekly flights to Sri Lanka’s second international airport in Mattala from March 18, a media report said.It will start flights between Sharjah and Mattala, Arabian Business, a Middle Eastern business news portal said. “Just a few months after our inception […]

Feb 22, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and Korea has liberalized an air services agreement allowing traffic rights to third countries which is expanding air links between the capitals of the two countries, the foreign ministry said.A new air services agreement had been signed on February 20 allowing Korean Air to fly to Maldives and […]