Category: Aviation

Jan 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines said check-in at the Bandaranaike International Airport north of Colombo was back to normal and passengers need not come four hours ahead of departure. Airport officials said the congestion was caused at peak aircraft arrival and departure periods because immigration department officials had […]

Jan 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines said it was asking passengers on departing flights to report four hours before departure to the airport because of delays at immigration. It said in a statement there was heavy congestion at immigration counters at the Bandaranaike International Airport, north of Colombo. SriLankan Airlines […]

Dec 24, 2009 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines has twice weekly to the second Italian city from Colombo, which is expected to boost tourist traffic between the countries, the carrier said. An estimated 12,000 visitors from Italy travel to Sri Lanka each year now. SriLankan Airlines already operates twice weekly flights to Italian capital Rome. The […]

Nov 24, 2009 (LBO) – Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, said it plans to launch direct non-stop services to Tokyo from March 28 next year to lure travellers across the Middle East instead of the Pacific. The move closely follows the recent launch of operations to Durban and Luanda, the airline said in a statement. At […]

November 5, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s top military officer returned home Thursday after he was allowed to complete a US visit without being questioned over alleged war crimes against Tamil civilians.General Sarath Fonseka arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport and was immediately driven away under tight security, an airport official said. “He arrived this morning […]

Nov 05, 2009 (LBO) – Mack Air (Pvt) Ltd, a unit of listed John Keells Holdings (JKH) said had been appointed the general sales agent for Air Mauritius in Sri Lanka from November 01. Romesh David who heads the transportation division of JKH said it will work with the airline to develop traffic between the […]

Oct 26, 2009 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines will continue to overfly Oman, an official said, following reports that the island’s aircraft may be denied permission to use Omani airspace over a dispute in implementing an existing bilateral air services deal.A media report from Oman, quoted an official as saying that the airline was not able […]

Oct 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s loss-making state-owned budget airline, Mihin Lanka, is to buy six aircraft, Ports and Aviation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said.He made the revelation during a debate in parliament on Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier, also state-owned, our sister news website, Vimasuma.com reported. Rajapaksa did not give further details about […]

Oct 21, 2009 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines said it will increase flights this winter season to a dozen cities throughout Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Far East as bookings were on the rise. The move is based on its projection that passenger numbers will “definitely increase” following the end of the island’s […]

Oct 14, 2009 (LBO) – A new terminal for export air cargo will open at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport in January 2010 which doubling capacity at the airport, state-run SriLankan Airlines said. In July, SriLankan Cargo had commissioned a new SkyChain cargo handling system. The airline carries cargo on passenger aircraft and also has dedicated […]

Sept 14, 2009 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines said it will launch a new twice-weekly direct service from Milan to Colombo on December 16 to attract more Italian tourists into the island.The flight will also help serve the sizable Sri Lankan community in northern Italy, the state-owned airline said in a statement.SriLankan briefly served Milan in […]

Sept 01, 2009 (LBO) – Air Asia’s flamboyant chief executive says Sri Lankan tourism will get a boost if airport expansion plans include budget carrier-friendly infrastructure to reduce the cost of air travel. Air Asia, which began daily flights to the island from its Kuala Lumpur hub in August, had sold 30,000 tickets before its […]