Category: Aviation

July 31, 2010 (LBO) – Emirates is to increase the frequency of flights between Sri Lanka and the Maldives to cater to increasing tourist traffic, a statement said. These flights will be served by Emirates’ Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a three-class configuration, with 12 seats in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class and 183 […]

July 28, 2010 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines has won an award from Singapore’s Changi airport for having the highest growth in traffic to the city state from the region last year, a statement said. The award was for ˜Top Airline by Growth in Passenger Carriage (South Asia)’. Travel between Singapore and Sri Lanka has grown […]

July 23, 2010 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines is to maintain its monopoly on ground handling and catering at the island’s international airport which are its main money spinners, a senior official said. Wickremasinghe said the airline’s finances were improving after it suffered an almost 10-billion-rupee loss in the 2009 financial year. He spoke at the […]

July 20, 2010 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines has taken delivery of its latest A330-200 wide-bodied aircraft as part of the national carrier’s expansion programme that will double the fleet and add new destinations, a senior official said. Wickremasinghe said SriLankan Airlines plans to fly to Moscow as well as a fourth destination in China soon. […]

July 19, 2010 (LBO ) – Thirteen firms that applied to start domestic air services in Sri Lanka after the end of a 30-year war are awaiting the final nod from the island’s aviation ministry and the president’s office, an official said. Director general of Sri Lanka’s civil aviation authority H M C Nimalsiri said […]

FARNBOROUGH, July 18, 2010 (AFP) – Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jet, whose delivery to clients faces fresh delays, landed here Sunday after its first flight outside of the US ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow. The test plane landed at Farnborough airport at 9:08am (0808 GMT), watched by journalists from around the world, ahead of the […]

July 10, 2010 (LBO) – Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka rose 47.9 percent to 44,730 in June 2010 from a year earlier, with strong growth from South Asia, Western Europe and North American, data from the island’s tourism office showed. In June arrivals from Western Europe rose 36.6 percent to 13,881 in the off-peak season. […]

July 08, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Airlines has launched its four-times a week service to Shanghai, China’s commercial capital, which the airline says is the third Chinese city in its route network. The first flight landed in Shanghai July 01. The route is operated on wide-body Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft via Bangkok on […]

Computer Play July 08, 2010 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines will set up a flight simulator centre with SIM Industries of the Netherlands targeting the growing South Asian regional market for pilot training, the airline said. “We have been looking at opportunities in South Asia for some time, and there is no doubt that Colombo is […]

July 07, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government has bought a stake owned by Emirates in SriLankan Airlines for 53 million dollars taking full control of its national carrier, finance ministry secretary P B Jayasundera said. Emirates managed the airline for 10 years from 1998. “Payment has been made and shares are held by […]

July 05, 2010 (LBO) – The Dubai-based Emirates airline has started daily services between Colombo and Singapore from July 01 with the addition of two more frequencies to and from the city state, a statement said. Singapore remains one of the most popular destinations out of Colombo for shopping, leisure and business travel, said Devika […]

July 03, 2010 (LBO) – Middle East budget carrier Flydubai has started four weekly flights to Colombo, providing fresh competition for state-run Mihin Lanka, which lost 900 million rupees last year. Mihin’s single aircraft doesn’t always fly direct. Mihin’s Dubai-Colombo run is via Kuwait. After losing billions of rupees since its start and after briefly […]