Aerospace Diary

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS  »  JULY 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Operating largely to and from unimproved airfields, Cinnamon Air’s Grand Caravans sustain significant wear and tear, particularly to their landing gear. Operating largely to and from unimproved airfields, Cinnamon Air’s Grand Caravans sustain significant wear and tear, particularly to their landing gear. July 1, 2014, 12:30 AM Sri Lankan regional airline Cinnamon Air expects a significant boost from traffic resulting from the recent move by its codeshare partner, SriLankan Airlines, to join the Oneworld alliance. Owned by the Saffron Aviation joint venture among John Keels Holdings,  MMBL Leisure Holdings and Phoenix Ventures, Cinnamon operates scheduled domestic services in the South Asian country, as well as charter flights. According to Saffron Aviation director Romesh David, Cinnamon’s traffic could grow “exponentially” as a result of the connection bet...

Posted by-Neelam Mathews Nov 30, 2012 The much discussed Etihad Airways, rumored to be picking upa stake in Jet Airways, is substantially increasing and upgrading flights to key cities in the Indian subcontinent. Starting from January 1, 2013 flights to the southern Indian city of Kozhikode will more than double, from 3 to seven a week. Colombo will also be serviced by daily flights when services  increase from four to seven per week starting from January 2, 2013.  James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and CEO  said: “India and Sri Lanka are important destinations for us due to strong local demand and growing traffic beyond Abu Dhabi to many key destinations across our global network. “Kozhikode and Colombo are fast growing cities that serve as major business and trade hubs with many of their inhabitants working in the Gulf region. We are confident that these additional flights will be immensely beneficial to them and will offer them more options to visit the...

Neelam Mathews,  Nov 18, 2012                                                                                                                                    Starting Dec 2, Cathay Pacific Airways will launch a new weekly freighter service to Colombo in Sri Lanka (subject to government approval). The new service will expand Cathay Pacific’s cargo presence in the South Asia region and give shippers in Sri Lanka greater choice and flexibility for connecting to the airline’s international cargo network through the Hong Kong hub. The Colombo freighter service will be operated on a Hong Kong-Chennai-Colombo-Hong Kong routing every Sunday using one...

Neelam Mathews Oct 10, 2012 Government-owned Mihin Lanka, a budget carrier from Sri Lanka, that will be starting a thrice weekly Colombo-Madurai flight from Dec 7, has signed a distribution deal with Sabre Travel Network, further adding to Sabre's budget airlines portfolio. The government-owned airline, which began operations in 2007, has signed up for Sabre’s Standard Connect with e-ticketing capabilities.  “In the sphere of budget travel and in an era where competition is rife, Mihin Lanka has made an impressionable impact.......I’m sure this strategic tie-up for distribution with Sabre Travel Network will enable Mihin Lanka to further extend its reach globally,” said CEO of Mihin Lanka, Kapila Chandrasena. Mihin Lanka operates its international flights from Bandaranaike International Airport and currently flies to eight destinations and code shares with Sri Lankan operated flights in the Far east, Middle East and the Indian Sub continent. “Sabre has bee...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 29, 2012 Bookings for tickets is now open for SpiceJet flights starting Sept 20 from the newly inaugurated Madurai Airport to Colombo on its Q400.   Madurai is SpiceJet’s second destination connecting to the Sri Lankan capital. Presently, it operates direct fights between Colombo and Chennai. T he Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft can accommodate 78 passengers and is widely accepted as the best short-haul plane globally.  “We are committed to provide an affordable air journey to the people without compromising ….,” SpiceJet CEO, Neil Mills said. SpiceJet Delhi-Kabul service started on August 14.