Sri Lanka Aviation

[umedhah]

I wonder why 4R-ALH & 4R-ALN are not flying?

I think both are in the gangar. ALH having extensive maintenance in cargo hold etc. Haleef?

[Aaqib]

Hi Banuthev, Thank you for adding me to the forum.

There were zome rumors in early 2021 about Srilankan having planes to lease 5-6 A330-200Fs but as the local economy got worse the "rumour" turned cold.

In 2020-2021 finnancial report Srilankan did have some good revenue by operating sole A330-200F (4R-ALS) which led the airline to make a gross profit in Q1 of 2021.

So yes, I think despite the post-covid cargo and logistics boost we do have a good demand for cargo,
and old Airbus A330-200F is an excellent choice for that considering its range,fuel economy and payload. And best thing is Srilankan can easily maintain an A330 fleet. so having a fleet of cargo A330s can make a huge differece in airline revenue & profits.

For example airlines like Qatar, Ethiopian earns more by operating Cargo flights comparing to Passenger flights.

Definitely yes!
I believe operating ALS was indeed profitable. For UL to get their formula right, I do hope they look to at least convert some of the older A330’s into dedicated freighters.

The best examples would be the Indian LCC’s - IndiGo and SpiceJet who are performing well on Cargo Ops even with narrow body freighters

Secondly, UL does also need focus on regional connectivity from our Minor International Airports (RML & JAF) as of now JAF is monopolized by Alliance.
They should honestly phase out the 2 A320neos and allocate the same in acquiring turboprops - FitsAir were considering the Q400 however I’m not quite sure when they are scheduled to be delivered

RML & JAF as we know have lower embarkation fees, translating into lower fares which is something we all look for

[Alisha]

Sri Lanka has a well-developed aviation industry, with several airlines operating both domestically and internationally. The country's main international airport is the Bandaranaike International Airport, located in Katunayake, which serves as a hub for Sri Lankan Airlines, the country's national carrier.
In addition to Sri Lankan Airlines, other airlines that operate out of Sri Lanka include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, and several others. There are also several domestic airlines that offer flights within the country, such as Cinnamon Air and Sri Lanka Air Taxi.

[Haleef]

I think both are in the gangar. ALH having extensive maintenance in cargo hold etc. Haleef?

ALH and ALN both were taken in for C-checks months ago. Lots of patch work and repairs were done on it, including painting. ALH is nearly done now, probably a test flight will happen soon. ALN is now being worked on. Expect to see ALH flying soon again.

[banuthev]

Definitely yes!
I believe operating ALS was indeed profitable. For UL to get their formula right, I do hope they look to at least convert some of the older A330’s into dedicated freighters.

The best examples would be the Indian LCC’s - IndiGo and SpiceJet who are performing well on Cargo Ops even with narrow body freighters

Secondly, UL does also need focus on regional connectivity from our Minor International Airports (RML & JAF) as of now JAF is monopolized by Alliance.
They should honestly phase out the 2 A320neos and allocate the same in acquiring turboprops - FitsAir were considering the Q400 however I’m not quite sure when they are scheduled to be delivered

RML & JAF as we know have lower embarkation fees, translating into lower fares which is something we all look for

I wonder why engine issues on ABQ, ANA, ANF have not been resolved yet? I can't see AND and ANE are not flying too.

I wonder why UL have to look for additional 5 A320 instead of fixing the current problems in the narrow body fleet

[Serendib]

FITSAIR NS23 NETWORK CHANGES

1 min
NS23
Published at 1900GMT 17MAR23

Sri Lankan carrier FitsAir in Northern summer 2023 season is adjusting operational frequencies across its network, as the airline plans frequency increase for Chennai and Dubai.

Colombo – Chennai eff 26MAR23 Increase from 3 weekly to 1 daily
Colombo – Dubai eff 26MAR23 Increase from 4 weekly to 1 daily
Colombo – Male eff 05FEB23 Reduce from 3 to 2 weekly, reduced frequency maintained on/after 26MAR23

Colombo – Dubai – Colombo

SECTOR	FLIGHT NO.	DEPARTURE	ARRIVAL	FREQUENCY
Colombo – Dubai	8D821	1855	2215	Daily
Dubai – Colombo	8D822	2315	0530	Daily (next day arrival in CMB)

Colombo – Chennai – Colombo

SECTOR	FLIGHT NO.	DEPARTURE	ARRIVAL	FREQUENCY
Colombo – Chennai	8D831	0730	0845	Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
0830	0945	Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
Chennai – Colombo	8D832	0945	1100	Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
1045	1200	Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Colombo – Malé – Colombo

SECTOR	FLIGHT NO.	DEPARTURE	ARRIVAL	FREQUENCY
Colombo – Malé	8D813	1230	1330	Monday & Thursday
Malé – Colombo	8D814	1430	1630

[banuthev]

FITSAIR NS23 NETWORK CHANGES

1 min
NS23
Published at 1900GMT 17MAR23

Sri Lankan carrier FitsAir in Northern summer 2023 season is adjusting operational frequencies across its network, as the airline plans frequency increase for Chennai and Dubai.

Colombo – Chennai eff 26MAR23 Increase from 3 weekly to 1 daily
Colombo – Dubai eff 26MAR23 Increase from 4 weekly to 1 daily
Colombo – Male eff 05FEB23 Reduce from 3 to 2 weekly, reduced frequency maintained on/after 26MAR23

It seems one aircraft in operation by looking at above schedule.

CMB - MAA - 07:30 - 08:45 - DAYS 1246
CMB-MAA- 08:30 - 09:45 - DAYS 357
MAA -CMB - 09:45 - 11:00 DAYS 1246
MAA-CMB - 10:45 - 12:00 - DAYS 357
CMB-MLE - 12:30 - 13:30 - DAYS 14
MLE-CMB - 14:30 - 16:30 - DAYS 14
CMB-DXB - 18:55 - 22:15 - DAILY
DXB-CMB - 23:15 - 05:30 - DAILY

Hi Haleef, When 4R-EXS going to be painted in Fitsair livery? Any update on 4R-EXQ when it's going to fly?

[banuthev]

ALH and ALN both were taken in for C-checks months ago. Lots of patch work and repairs were done on it, including painting. ALH is nearly done now, probably a test flight will happen soon. ALN is now being worked on. Expect to see ALH flying soon again.

I think ALH scheduled to fly on 30-Mar and ALN scheduled to fly on 17-Apr.

[banuthev]

It was revealed that seven more airlines are scheduled to resume services.

https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Airline...nkan/44-746531

Does anyone know the name of these 7 Airlines going to resume direct flights to Sri Lanka?

[Alisha]

hello guys,
Sri Lanka Aviation College (SLAC) is a private higher education institute located in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka. The college was established in 1997 and is one of the leading aviation colleges in Sri Lanka. It provides education and training in the fields of aircraft maintenance, air traffic control, and aviation management. SLAC offers a range of degree and diploma programs in the aviation industry. It also offers short-term courses for aspiring pilots, cabin crew, and aircraft maintenance engineers..

[Alisha]

hello guys.,
Sri Lanka Aviation is the national aviation sector of Sri Lanka. It is a growing industry that is overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL). The aviation sector provides services such as air traffic control, aviation safety, aircraft registration, and licensing of personnel. The CAASL also works to promote tourism and regional connectivity through the development of infrastructure and the implementation of international aviation standards..

[banuthev]

Oman Air leases Heathrow slots to Fitsair? Please see the attached.

The link doesn't seems to work

[Aero]

Oman Air leases Heathrow slots to Fitsair? Please see the attached.

The link doesn't seems to work

Yes may be. Fits air chaiman is mr peter hill. Not nishantha wickemasinghe . Mr hill definitely will make fits air profitable more than Sri lankan airlines .

[banuthev]

Oman Air leases Dubai slots to FitsAir,

Oman Air (WY, Muscat) has leased a part of its Dubai International slot portfolio to Sri Lanka's FitsAir (8D, Colombo International) and Bangladesh's US-Bangla Airlines (BS, Dhaka) for the Summer 2023 season.

The Sri Lankan carrier will be able to operate daily flights from Colombo International to Dubai using a 180-seat A320-200 aircraft between March 26 and October 28, 2023. The privately-owned carrier currently operates three A320ceo jets and one ATR72-200(QC) on scheduled services from Colombo to Malé, Dubai, and Chennai. It confirmed to ch-aviation that it was planning to use the slots leased from Oman Air to increase the frequency of its services to Dubai.

Meanwhile, US-Bangla Airlines has leased 3x weekly slots for services from Dhaka, operated using a 164-seat B737-800. The Bangladeshi airline currently connects Dhaka with Dubai 10x weekly.

Both slot leases are for babysitting, which indicates that Oman Air had no plans to use them in the coming summer season. By leasing them to other airlines, it can protect the slots from being returned due to non-use.

Oman Air currently operates 21x weekly flights from Muscat to Dubai using B737-8s and occasionally B787-9s, the ch-aviation schedules module shows.

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...lankas-fitsair

I wonder what Fitsair is going to do for daily slots at Dubai in Winter 2023 season?

[skyline]

Definitely yes!
I believe operating ALS was indeed profitable. For UL to get their formula right, I do hope they look to at least convert some of the older A330’s into dedicated freighters.

The best examples would be the Indian LCC’s - IndiGo and SpiceJet who are performing well on Cargo Ops even with narrow body freighters

Secondly, UL does also need focus on regional connectivity from our Minor International Airports (RML & JAF) as of now JAF is monopolized by Alliance.
They should honestly phase out the 2 A320neos and allocate the same in acquiring turboprops - FitsAir were considering the Q400 however I’m not quite sure when they are scheduled to be delivered

RML & JAF as we know have lower embarkation fees, translating into lower fares which is something we all look for

Any news on Fitsair Q400? 1d4dda_b5f703c3860142ed8d01cc6866fe83f9~mv2.jpg