Was talking to some UL crew at their Londom hotel 2 days ago, and they confirmed that 4R ADA was not flying these days, there was also some "speculation" that the damage sustained during a tail strike was at a time when a foriegn pilot was in control !

I thought 4R-ADA was fully owned by UL (as its an ex-AirLanka aircraft)

during the EK/UL tie up days, i thnk in the last fiscal yr (2007/08) EK did a sale and leaseback of the 3 A343 (4R-ADA/B/C) which were owned till then by the airline (both under the Airlanka and Srilankan brand names).

Some latest news :

Mattala: Planes come, nobody gets in or gets out - http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140202/new...out-82072.html

Lankans avoid travel to crisis-hit Thailand - http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140202/bus...and-81584.html

...more like ponzi scheme

Update, per Australian Business Traveller: Oneworld says that SriLankan Airlines will not be officially joining the airline alliance on March 1st, despite yesterday’s confirmation from SriLankan’s own PR department of that date.

Sri Lankan don't have the proper standard to join one world

More lies in the skies with SriLankan Airline


Instructions were given to divert to Singapore a scheduled SriLankan Airlines direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Colombo whilst the Airbus A-330 aircraft was on the ground in Malaysia, the Sunday Times can reveal today. That was how Captain Lakshman Fernando, commanding the flight touched down at Changi International Airport in Singapore. The aircraft was on the ground for half an hour to enable only SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe, his wife and a family friend to board the flight. The Sunday Times can confirm that no other passengers boarded this flight and it took off after re-fuelling.

These revelations came as Mr. Wickremesinghe sent “a clarification” to the main story on this page last week. It reported that diverting an aircraft on a scheduled flight from one country to yet another is an exclusive privilege enjoyed by Heads of State or Government or if there is a patient who requires immediate hospitalisation. Reacting to our disclosure, an airline industry official added, “that too in circumstances where there is a justifiable emergency.” However, in this instance the diversion was purely to pick up Mr. Wickremesinghe, his wife and a family friend who were on a non-official visit to Singapore.

Now to what the “clarification” says: “SriLankan Airlines hereby seeks a clarification for the story published in page two of The Sunday Times, January 26, 2014 titled “Waste of Paradise by SriLankan Chairman.” ”SriLankan Airlines operates two daily flights between Singapore and Colombo. On January 22nd, 2014, flight UL 306 scheduled to depart Colombo for Singapore was delayed due to unforeseen technical reasons. As a result, the flight which was originally scheduled to depart Colombo at 0100 hrs departed at 0447 hrs with a delay of three hours and forty seven minutes. Accordingly, the return flight which was originally scheduled to depart Singapore at 1000 hrs Singapore time was rescheduled to depart at 1200 hrs.

“In the past, SriLankan Airlines had operated circular flights with the routine — Colombo/ Kuala Lumpur / Singapore/ Colombo or vice versa which were later changed two separate flights — Colombo/Singapore/Colombo and Colombo/Kuala Lumpur/Colombo on regular basis. ”On the said date, as the Singapore flight was delayed, SriLankan Airlines decided to operate the Kuala Lumpur flight which was en route to Kuala Lumpur as Colombo/Kuala Lumpur/Singapore/Colombo to uplift the Colombo bound Singapore passengers with the available capacity.

http://www.srilankan.com

look guys, UL has a new website

It looks like job half done. Some pages are pointing to old website.

oh really, i didn't have the time to check the new look thoroughly ..............

New N/S flights to China:

Good job on getting non-stop flights.. but the timings dont suite me.. im a business traveller and I prefer midnight departures and need to have my full day at work.. these timings are ideal for tourists... i guess.. ill have to use SQ, MH, TG and CX for the time being..

Even these flights do not connect from those departing from SEZ and get into CMB at like i believe at 2300 hrs... (correct me if im wrong)

...Later this year, SriLankan Airlines will become a member of the oneworld alliance, a club of 13 airlines which collaborate by selling tickets on each other’s flights. “Right now we are servicing 62 destinations. Overnight it will be close to 800 destinations,” says Mr Chandrasena. His airline already has codeshare agreements with three oneworld members, S7 Airlines (from Russia), Malaysia Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines. He is confident that such partnerships will be extended to other members—hopefully including industry goliaths British Airways, American Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

The easier it becomes for European, American and Asian holidaymakers to fly to Colombo, the more Sri Lanka benefits, irrespective of whether they arrive on a SriLankan Airlines plane. Mr Chandrasena reckons that inbound flight bookings have an economic multiplier of eight. This, he thinks, puts the financial losses of his airline into perspective. “SriLankan Airlines itself contributes about 2.2% of GDP,” he estimates. “As more and more tourists are coming, we have a more tourism-dependent economy.”

Increasing the number of direct flights to the island is therefore crucial for Sri Lanka, and teaming up with oneworld marks a cost-effective step forward. But the flag carrier is also looking beyond its own borders. It already operates more than 80 flights a week to eight Indian cities. If it can increase those and, say, add extra flights to the Maldives, it thinks Colombo could become a hub for the sub-region.

More ambitiously, Mr Chandrasena wants the capital to become a bridging point between China and Africa. “We see major high-volume traffic flows between Asia and Africa, and especially China and Africa,” he says. “From a geographical point of view, the shortest route is above Sri Lanka.” The jury is still out on this latter goal. SriLankan Airlines may serve four points in China, but it serves none in Africa (notwithstanding a new route to the Seychelles, which is offered by Mihin Lanka, its low-cost affiliate). Mr Chandrasena is keen to add one or two big African hubs to his network, but he admits that a local partner will be required to “fan out across the continent”. Wooing this partner may prove tricky. Ethiopian Airlines already flies to four Chinese destinations and is adding a fifth in March; Kenya Airways has its own partnerships with two Chinese carriers; and South African Airways is likely to favour Etihad, with which it has signed a codeshare agreement, to improve its connections with China...

http://aviationvoice.lk/?p=7748

guys take a look at this, dont knw whether gonna happen or not but apparently TUI grp gonna set up offices at HRI so six possible 787's to serve HRI it seems....

It says "negotiating"....... means trying hard. Its better news than "Mattala: Planes come, nobody gets in or gets out" story.