SriLankan to terminate sea plane operations

Sri Lanka Minister of Civil Aviation Priyankara Jayaratne says that the Ministry has decided to stop the operation of sea planes by the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines.

The lease arrangement of sea planes with a Canadian company is to expire in around four months and the SriLankan will terminate operations of sea planes then, the Minister says.

The service is to be given to the private sector under contract, according to the Minister.

The move is aimed at minimizing the losses the national carrier is continually incurring.

It says There is a massive increase in travellers from Colombo to London and London to Toronto and back.

Therefore, moves will be taken to cater to the potential market.

SriLankan will operate 7 weekly to LHR after 7th Sep 2012.

Good news ! Any Idea which local company that going to takeover the AirTaxi service from Gov ?

Deccan Aviation Lanka expected to expand operations

Let's see….

will this be a good idea???

Sajin Vas will jump into it.

Great news.

Flydubai, keen on operating a double digit to Sri Lanka
Shirajiv Sirimane in dubai

Flydubai, Dubai’s pioneering low-cost airline, said that they are keen on operating a double digit daily frequency to Colombo

Press Officer, flydubai Houda Al Kaissi speaking to the Daily News Business at the Arabian Travel Mart said that they already operate daily flights and are keen to increase frequencies. “We have a fleet of 23 aircrafts and would be getting three more end of the year and are very keen to have two flights a day to Sri Lanka,” she said.

The official said that the airline is also keen to operate some of these flights to Sri Lanka’s second international airport Mattala from next year.

She said that the airline is high on load factors and thisis the reason are keen to add flights.

“After the Ramazan period we expect a higher demand to Sri Lanka,” she said. Al Kaissi also added that they have as many passengers that fly to Colombo from CIS countries and this market too is growing,

The airline with Jetwing Travels as their general Sales Agent in Sri Lanka has cemented its position as the world's fastest growing start-up airline ever with the start of flights to its 50th destination to Kyrgyz Republic in less than three years expanding its operational route network to 28 countries across the GCC, Middle East, North Africa, Indian sub-continent, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe.

Over the past three years it has incorporated avant-garde systems such as Boeing Sky Interior and the ‘Fiber-To-The-Screen In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system from Lumexis.

With the airline’s growing regional footprint, it has also taken significant steps towards reducing its environmental impact by fitting the aircraft with winglets, carbon brakes, Zonal Dryin System, all designed to increase the aircraft’s efficiency and reduce weight, therefore saving on fuel burn. Flydubai’s dynamic growth and pioneering attitude in the aviation industry has not gone unnoticed, with the airline winning a number of plaudits including being named Low Cost Airline of the Year at both the Business Traveller Middle East Awards and Aviation Business Awards 2011.

Sri Lanka can invite foreign seaplane operators…

Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) is a private airline based in Maldives.

TMA is also one of the largest seaplane operators in the world.

Spectacularly bad journalism!

For a moment I thought they need to operate 10 flights a day!

I think first UL should think about Toronto.

I think YYZ will be better with B777z.... coz using A340z for Ultra-long haul flights is costly

Actually, TMA's planes are on some wet lease from Ken Borek - who is the largest operator of Twotters in the world

well, seriously, if there are enough STOL runways, I see no reason for seaplanes in Sri Lanka, other than for novelty factor.

Knowing the load factors (a friend flew to Weligama - he was the sole pax, on departure, 2 pax got out, and on arrival, he was met by 2 pax - makes sense to kill it off I guess

or put back the wheels and fly the Twotter in it's natural land based guise ..