Direct flight services between Jaffna – India

Looks like very early stage announcement, but make sense.

It is not easy for UL to compete in the long haul routes, i.e. European countries especially with the 3 ME carriers providing superior metals + comfort with easy connection from DXB and DOH. Even SQ finds it hard to compete with them. MH has fallen so far off behind it has no other choice than to only focus on regional routes with only a handful long hauls. Looking at the progress of UL, it does resembles the sad story of MH in a way. Perhaps, the best that UL can do is to learn the mistakes of MH, political or apolitical. My 2 cents.

OK - UL updated my booking - now direct to PEK on a 332 instead of 343 via HRI and BKK stops and cutting down 3+ hrs. The sad part of the story is I was looking forward to experience HRI touch-n-go which is now gone ;(

It's all good news but Sri Lankan has to maintain standard, shitty service, rundown interior, lacks quality and untrained cabin crew, undoubtedly the worse airline of Asia. Entertainment system is of the dark ages, overall more like a private bus service.

Did this get posted ??

I hope they parked in the remote apron and saved the docking fees etc .. well, did they also refuel ?

Waste of paradise by SriLankan Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe

Diverting an aircraft on a scheduled flight from one country to yet another is an exclusive privilege enjoyed by Heads of State or Government. However, in Sri Lanka it is a different story. Even the Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, can do it by merely making a telephone call. Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe, his wife and a guest were on a non-official visit to Singapore this week. This is exactly what he did.

He ordered that the scheduled SriLankan Airlines Colombo bound direct flight from Kuala Lumpur be diverted to Singapore. It was just to pick him up. Passengers who found the aircraft landing less than an hour after take-off were baffled. No one told them that they were making a diversion to pick up the Chairman and party. It is later that they found out they were in Singapore.

The irony of this situation is that Chairman Wickremesinghe did not want to wait for two hours and take the scheduled Sri Lankan Airlines flight leaving Singapore anyway for Colombo. He was in a mighty hurry to get to Colombo. Little wonder that the national carrier, which prides itself over its logo – a taste of paradise – is also dubbed as the airline which ‘borrows from Peter to pay Paul.’ Last week, the exclusive front page lead story in the Sunday Times revealed how SriLankan Airlines is to raise an international bond issue for US $ 175 million dollars. This is to pay off an earlier loan obtained from the Dubai based Mashreq Bank and use the remaining funds to pay an advance payment for a fleet of new aircraft from the Airbus Industries in France.

An irate local businessman asked a crew member why Chairman Wickremesinghe could not wait and board the scheduled flight out of Singapore. Replied the crew member; “For them, our aircraft are like three-wheeler taxis. They can stop them anywhere and whenever and wherever they need it.” The businessman remarked that no other self-respecting carrier would divert scheduled flights to pick up their Chairmen.

It is public funds that are used to meet fuel and additional costs due to diversion of aircraft. Little wonder ministers in the Cabinet fear SriLankan Airlines are in for an economic crash landing. But, who cares as long as they can enjoy their own taste of paradise in the much touted miracle of Asia?

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140119/new...aft-80584.html

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/n...ncing/15930902

This is completely unsustainable imho.

SriLankan sees Colombo role as Sino-African bridge by Martin Rivers, London, dashboard.Flightglobal.com
SriLankan Airlines is working to develop capital city Colombo into a bridging point between China and emerging markets in Africa.

Chinese capital inflows to Africa are estimated at more than $30 billion per year, with $200 billion of trade exchanging hands annually.

“We see major high-volume traffic flows between Asia and Africa, and especially China and Africa given the Chinese investment in the continent,” explains chief executive Kapila Chandrasena. “From a geographical point of view, the shortest route is above Sri Lanka.”

The flag carrier operates four times weekly flights to four destinations in China – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong – and efforts are under way to make these services daily.

But in contrast to its “fairly matured” Chinese network, Chandrasena admits that SriLankan Airlines has yet to make significant inroads in Africa. The November 2013 launch of twice weekly flights to the Seychelles by low-cost affiliate and codeshare partner Mihin Lanka marked the first tentative step.

Mainland African destinations are now being assessed, with the regional hubs of Nairobi and Johannesburg seen as having the greatest potential.

“It’s not realistic for me to say we’ll serve 10 points in Africa,” Chandrasena concedes. “But certainly one or two major points. We will look at some type of partnership or alliance within Africa, in order to fan out across the continent.”

He notes that Sri Lanka’s president Mahinda Rajapaksa made an official state visit to Kenya following his attendance of Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in December. “Fairly high-level discussions” about air links have now been held with the governments of Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania.

“So we will see who has the best market potential, and also the best commercial potential, and then make a call on that,” he adds.

SriLankan renewing narrowbody fleet with A321s by Martin Rivers, London, dashboard.Flightglobal.com
SriLankan Airlines will take delivery of two leased Airbus A321s this year before deciding whether to place a firm order for A321neos, chief executive Kapila Chandrasena tells Flightglobal.

The flag carrier will return two of its eight A320s to their lessors when the larger variants enter service in March and July as part of an “interim solution”.

“We are looking at the induction of two A321s this year, replacing some of the A320s,” Chandrasena says. “The A321 is more suitable to our type of network in the region. They will be fully refurbished and reconfigured, and they are coming on five-year leases.

“Then we are ultimately working towards the A321neos when they become available around 2019.”

The first A321 unit (MSN 3397) was ferried to Ostrava in the Czech Republic this month. It was formerly operated by Qatar Airways and will be leased from CIT Aerospace, according to Flightglobal’s Ascend Online database.

On the widebody front, SriLankan Airlines is due to receive six A330-300s and seven A350s over the coming years. Its existing widebody fleet comprises seven A330-200s and six A340s. Deliveries of the new A330s will run from October 2014 through to the end of 2015, allowing the carrier to fully retire its A340s.

Three of the A350s will then begin arriving in 2017 under a 12-year leasing deal with ILFC, while the remaining four units are due to be delivered “from 2019 onwards”.

Chandrasena adds that low-cost affiliate Mihin Lanka will receive two Boeing 737-800s in 2015, although the order has not been confirmed by the US manufacturer. Its existing fleet comprises two A321s and one A320.

UL has to drop unprofitable destinations in Europe and they have to launch new routes in China, Kenya and South Africa. What do you say?

its actually good if they seek to bridge the gap between africa and china thru colombo. however i feel that UL current european network is more than enough.

That bridge has already been built by EK, with 6 lanes in each direction!

UL is a whole decade late to the party.

lol,, all i can see everywhere is EK, EY and QR,

Well TK also to be added to the list.

ROTFL...good one...but actual bridge is built by ET and they are further expanding inside China and in Africa

SriLankan Airlines to adjust service to China from 30-Mar-2014
31-Jan-2014 4:03 PM © CAPA

SriLankan Airlines plans to adjust service to China from 30-Mar-2014, with Beijing and Shanghai Pudong service both converted to four times weekly nonstop service in each direction (Airline Route, 31-Jan-2014). The nonstop service will replace existing one-stop via Bangkok on outbound, two-stop via Bangkok and Hambantota on inbound. A330-200 aircraft to operate both route. Operational schedule on Colombo–Bangkok sector is expected to see adjustments in the near future as a result of network changes. China is SriLankan Airlines' sixth largest international market by seats, with 5304 seats deployed to China in the current week, according to OAG. This equates to 6.5% international capacity share in the current week.