Category: Shipping and Transport

Oct 23, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to expand and re-surface its runway to handle jumbo sized A380 airbus aircraft, capitalising on delays that have pushed back release of the new super-sized planes to 2009. Part of Emirates plans also includes new aircraft possibly 777-300s or A340s for Sri Lankan Airlines, though beefing up […]

Oct 20, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines says it will consider lowering fuel surcharges on tickets in January if oil prices continue to fall, while it also expands further into Indian metropolitan cities this winter. The airline is currently buying jet fuel at 1.92 dollars a gallon, down from the highs of 2.28 dollars a […]

Oct 13, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines is ripe for expansion and is looking for about 11 new planes to beef up airline seat capacity, says Tim Clark, Managing Director of SriLankan. SriLankan Airline’s net profits as at end March this year, rose to 797.93 million rupees over 7.66 million rupees, while group net profit […]

SINGAPORE, Oct 13, 2006 (AFP) – Delays in delivery of the Airbus A380 super jumbo have led to “a big problem” for Dubai-based Emirates, the single biggest customer for the passenger aircraft, the airline’s president said Friday. Other regional carriers, including launch customer Singapore Airlines, have also expressed disappointment at the A380 delays, which Airbus […]

Oct 12 (LBO) – Dubai based Emirates Airlines is offering a bargain single fare for Sri Lankan leisure seekers and businessmen flying to Europe this winter season. Travelers flying from Colombo to 20 destinations in Europe can buy a four month, economy class return ticket for 50,000 rupees (500 dollars), excluding taxes and fuel surcharges, […]

Oct 11, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has won additional flights to Indian metropolitan cities Mumbai and Bangalore, following a round of talks with India this week on liberalising air services. We have got seven additional frequencies a week to Mumbai in addition to the seven at present, as well as seven more frequencies to […]

Oct 10, 2006 (LBO) – The Asian Development Bank is fielding a mission to Sri Lanka this week to look at supplementary financing for the 300 million dollar Southern expressway. We expect the highway to be completed by 2010 or end 2009 at the earliest. We want to open the highway to the public once […]

Oct 09, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and India opened talks on Monday to free up air services between the countries, ahead of Colombo designating new carriers to fly international routes. Sri Lanka has about 59 bilateral agreements with different countries, though its uses just about 19 of them. “We are basically asking for more […]

October 03 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lankans are still snapping up luxury cars like Audi’s despite stiff government taxes, to discourage vehicle sales and curb fuel consumption, officials said. “Looking at the monthly fuel consumption figures, I don’t see people reducing their usage. Neither do we see people not buying vehicles either,” Jayasundara told businessmen […]

SINGAPORE, September 16, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines plans to take ownership of three aircraft currently under lease and extend the lifespan on two others that come up for renewal next year, its chief financial officer said Saturday. We are in the last stages of paying up the lease on three aircraft, with two A340s […]

Bangladeshi crew rescued from sinking ship COLOMBO, Sept 7, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 34 Bangladeshi nationals Thursday who were aboard a crippled merchant vessel that sank off the island’s southern coast, officials said. The cargo carrier, MV Amnet Sha, was being towed by a tugboat when it sank in rough weather off […]

TOKYO, Aug 31, 2006 (AFP) – The global airline industry is expected to almost halve its losses in 2006 thanks to buoyant economic growth and deep cost cuts, the world’s top airline association said Thursday.The industry is now expected to lose 1.7 billion dollars in 2006, much less than the 3.0 billion loss previously feared […]