Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  March 7, 2018, 9:00 AM Performers dressed as ancient Sri Lankan warriors mark SriLankan Airlines' entry into the Oneworld alliance in 2014.Pix Neelam Mathews SriLankan Airlines awaits a response from Qatar Airways to partnership overtures during discussions held in Colombo with a Qatari delegation, Sri Lankan minister of public enterprises development Kabir Hashim said at a recent press briefing in Colombo. Qatar had shown interest last October during a visit by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to Doha, where he signed several bilateral deals. Ailing government-owned SriLankan Airlines has unsuccessfully endeavored to attract an airline to partner with it for several years.   Emirates, which held a 43.6 percent stake and participated in a 10-year strategic agreement with SriLankan, did not renew its partnership upon its expiration in 2008 and sold all its shares to the Sri Lankan government in 2010. SriLankan...

Press Release A total of 11 flights a week will operate to and out of DEL from 15 th  July SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the  one world alliance will be adding four more frequencies to its current daily operations to/from New Delhi from July 15, 2017. This announcement reinforces the significance of the Indian market and specifically North India for the airline. These flights will each feature an array of bespoke services, world-class in-flight entertainment including a combination of practical timings and signature SriLankan Airlines hospitality services. The purpose of adding these flights is to provide passengers with added convenience and a wider choice in terms of travel between the two countries and seeking onward connectivity. The timings of the additional 4 flights will be as follows: Flight No. From To DEP ...

Neelam Mathews Aug 18 2015                    IndiGo now operates close to 100 A320s. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) I nvestor confidence in the troubled Indian air transport sector appears poised for a boost with budget airline IndiGo’s plans to raise $400 million in an initial public offering ( IPO ) following its   order for 250   A320N eos . Delivery schedules call for those airplanes to arrive in India between 2018 and 2025. In the past nine years since its launch, IndiGo has ordered 530   A320 -family jets. It expects to become the second carrier to receive the   A320N eo from a batch of 180 it ordered in 2011, after Qatar Airways takes its first in December this year. “ IndiGo’s   IPO   helps re-rate the sector and is a reflection of what can be achieved by budget GoAir and SpiceJet, and even Jet Airways,” Kapil Kaul, South Asia   CEO   of Sydney-based Center for Aviation t...

Jane's Airport Review Neelam Mathews Read full story on janes.ihs.com (subscription) Mattala Rajapaksala International Airport represents part of the island's bid to position itself as a tourism and cargo-handling destination For decades, Sri Lanka relied on a single international gateway at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport. However, this airport has reached saturation point beyond its designed capacity of 6 million passengers per year, processing 7.32 million in 2013. 1565965 The first phase of Mattala Rajapaksala International Airport went operational in 2013. (Neelam Mathews)   "Sources at the airport indicate that AASL is in advanced discussions with Oman Air and held talks with AirAsia X. SriLankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena told  IHS Jane's  that he expects MRIA to become a hub for leisure traffic to the Maldives. The airline plans by 2015 to shift its narrowbody MRO operations from Bandaranaike International to a ne...

Neelam Mathews March 21, 2013 GeoPolitics- thy name is bedlam. Even as tourism had picked up between the two neighbors, SriLankan airlines announced today it has decided to reduce its frequency of flights to Chennai from 28 to 14 per week, effective from today. Was it coincidence that the news followed India’s vote against SriLanka at the UNHRC, one will never know. SriLankan Airlines said it “has observed a drop in traffic between Chennai and Colombo due to recent developments in Tamil Nadu, hence it was decided to reduce its frequency of flights….Revised schedule involves two daily flights, departing Colombo in the morning and evening, to facilitate the passengers who board their flights to Middle East and far eastern destinations from Chennai. Flights to other Indian destinations will be operated uninterrupted. SriLankan Airlines is closely observing the situation and will take further action if necessary.” Interesting, the carrier is tapping India’s traffic to the Mi...

Neelam Mathews Jan 4, 2013 SriLankan Airlines is planning to establish an MRO at the upcoming Mattala airport, South of Sri Lanka to cater to the Asian region, including the Indian market. Cabinet approval has been given to obtain foreign financial assistance for the project. Sri Lanka's ministry of civil aviation has sought $80 million from the Exim Bank of China to build hangars and related facilities for the aircraft maintenance facility

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...

Neelam Mathews   Dec 28, 2011 Sri Lankan Airlines has added more capacity in India from 64 to 77 flights after 23 December. The carrier added two additional flights to Muscat from December 23. Flights to Chennai increased to four frequencies a day from December 23 bringing the city’s total frequencies to 28 a week. The four daily frequencies to Chennai is the airline’s highest frequency to any destination, except Male, to which the airline operates an average of six frequencies a day. Some of these flights are direct operations from Europe and Tokyo and connect to Colombo via Male. The airline operates it’s A320 and A330 fleet on this sector and caters to a mix of passengers from leisure travelers to business travellers and students from Colombo to through traffic (connecting passengers) from the Far East and Europe . “We are developing Colombo into a hub for the South Asian Region and it is vitally important that we provide the best service for our connecting passengers ...