Sri Lanka Aviation

When day-to-day business operations seem to require cabinet approval, its not surprising that the airline appears to be incapable of sourcing new aircraft.

Is Srilankan Airlines getting next Airbus 330 aircraft soon?

Thank you Banuthev for posting the flight information for April - this is always interesting to read. Surprised to see that UL is reducing LHR flights from 9 to 7 - I would have thought that currently UL's LHR flights are very lucrative, given that many people want to avoid the middle east and take a direct flight. I assume the flights being reduced are the weekend flights that arrived in London in the morning - which were very convenient for onward connections. Hope they resume soon.

Colombo Airport Schedule Flight Information - April 2026 Week 1

• Indigo launched direct fghts between Delhi and Colombo operating 6 weekly;
• Indigo reduced the Bengaluru - Colombo flights from 14 weekly to 13 weeky;
• Fitsair reduced the Colombo - Dubai flights from 7 weekly to 6 weekly;
• Fitair is increasing Colombo - Male' flights from 9 weekly to 14 weekly;
• Air India reduced the Delhi - Colombo flights from 20 weekly to 14 weekly;
• AirAsia increased Kuala Lumpur - Colombo flights from 13 weekly to 14 weekly;
• Air China increased Chengdu - Colombo flights from 5 weekly to 7 weekly;
• Emirates reduced the Dubai - Colombo flights from 21 weekly to 19 weekly. Emirates flights on Dubai - Male' - Colombo route remain cancelled.
• Etihad Airways increased Abu Dhabi - Colombo flights from 13 weekly to 20 weekly;
• Thai AirAsia reduced Bangkok DMK - Colombo flights from 10 weekly to 7 weekly;
• FlyDubai reduced Dubai - Colombo nonstop flights from 14 weekly to 13 weekly;
• Jazeera Airways cancelled Qaisumah - Colombo flights;
• Jazeera Airways starts Dammam - Colombo flights with two weekly;
• Capital Airlines cancelled Beijing PKX - Colombo flights in April 2026;
• Malaysia Airlines increased Kuala Lumpur - Colombo flights from 7 weekly to 8 weekly;
• China Eastern reduced Kunming - Colombo flights from 5 weekly to 4 weekly;
• Batik Air Malaysia resumed Kuala Lumpur - Colombo flights with 3 weekly. 4 weekly planned in coming months;
• Qatar Airways reduced Doha - Colombo flights from 21 weekly to 20 weekly;
• Aeroflot reduced Moscow - Colombo flights from 5 weekly to 4 weekly;
• SriLankan Airlines is flying 5 weekly to Dubai
• SriLankan Airlines is continuing to operate nonstop flights between Colombo - Paris;
• SriLankan Airlines is continuing to operate nonstop flights between Colombo - Frankfurt;
• SriLankan Airlines reduced Colombo - Hyderabad flights from 5 weekly to 4 weekly;
• SriLankan Airlines is flying 7 weekly to London.
• SriLankan Airlines reduced Colombo - Chennai flights from 21 weekly to 19 weekly;
• SriLankan Airlines is increasing Colombo - Singapore flights from 10 weekly to 11 weeky;
• Turkish Airlines reduced Istanbul - Colombo passenger flights from 10 weekly to 9 weekly;
• Singapore Airlines deploying A359 on day time flights in and out of Colombo;
• Edelweiss Air is deploying A359 on Zurich-Colombo route replacing A343;
• Salam Air is flying wet leased B737 on Muscat- Colombo route;

A/L	DEST	VIA	FLTS PER WEEK IN MAR26	FLTS PER WEEK IN APR26	FREQ
3L	AUH	---	5	5	0
3Z	WAW	MCT	1	0	-1
6E	BLR	---	14	13	-1
6E	BOM	---	7	7	0
6E	DEL	---	0	6	0
6E	HYD	---	6	6	0
6E	MAA	---	27	27	0
8D	DAC	---	7	7	0
8D	DXB	---	7	6	-1
8D	KUL	---	3	3	0
8D	LHE	---	0	0	0
8D	MLE	---	9	14	5
AI	BOM	---	7	7	0
AI	DEL	---	20	14	-6
AK	KUL	---	13	14	1
CA	TFU	---	5	7	2
CX	HKG	---	7	7	0
EK	DXB	---	21	19	-2
EK	DXB	MLE	0	0	0
EY	AUH	---	13	20	7
FD	DMK	---	10	7	-3
FZ	DXB	---	14	13	-1
FZ	DXB	MLE	3	3	0
G9	SHJ	---	7	7	0
GF	BAH	MLE	0	0	0
HM	SEZ	---	1	1	0
IZ	TLV	---	0	0	0
J9	AQI	---	4	0	-4
J9	DMM	---	0	2	2
J9	KWI	---	0	0	0
JD	PKX	---	1	0	-1
KC	ALA	---	0	0	0
KU	KWI	---	0	0	0
MH	KUL	---	7	8	1
MU	KMG	---	6	4	-2
MU	PVG	---	7	7	0
OD	KUL	---	0	3	3
OQ	CKG	---	3	3	0
OQ	MLE	---	3	3	0
OV	MCT	---	6	4	-2
QR	DOH	---	21	20	-1
SQ	SIN	---	10	10	0
SU	SVO	---	5	4	-1
TG	BKK	---	7	7	0
TK	IST	---	10	9	-1
UL	BKK	---	14	14	0
UL	BLR	---	10	10	0
UL	BOM	---	14	14	0
UL	CAN	---	4	4	0
UL	CDG	---	3	3	0
UL	CGK	---	7	7	0
UL	COK	---	7	7	0
UL	DAC	---	7	7	0
UL	DEL	---	14	14	0
UL	DMM	---	0	0	0
UL	DOH	---	0	0	0
UL	DXB	---	0	5	5
UL	FRA	---	3	3	-0
UL	FRA	CDG	0	0	0
UL	GAN	---	2	2	0
UL	HYD	---	5	4	-1
UL	ICN	---	2	2	0
UL	IXM	---	5	5	0
UL	KHI	---	4	4	0
UL	KTM	---	3	4	1
UL	KUL	---	14	14	0
UL	KWI	---	0	0	0
UL	LHE	---	4	4	0
UL	LHR	---	9	7	-2
UL	MAA	---	21	19	-2
UL	MEL	---	7	7	0
UL	MLE	---	21	21	0
UL	NRT	---	4	4	0
UL	RUH	---	7	7	0
UL	SIN	---	10	11	1
UL	SYD	---	4	4	0
UL	TRV	---	4	4	0
UL	TRZ	---	7	7	0
WK	ZRH	---	2	2	0

Hi Team, Any update on hiring new CEO for UL?

SriLankan Airlines Chairman Sarath Ganegoda Resigns; Acting Chairman Appointed
Mr. Sarath Ganegoda has resigned from his position as Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, effective 31 March 2026.

Until a new Chairman is appointed by the Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. A.K.D.D. Dimal Arandara will serve as Acting Chairman of both entities.

Meanwhile, Director Mr. Rohan Goonetilleke has also stepped down from the Boards of SriLankan Airlines Limited and SriLankan Catering Limited.

SriLankan Airlines Announces Updated Board Composition
SriLankan Airlines has announced its updated Board of Directors following recent resignations.

The new board composition is as follows:

Mr. A. K. D. D. Dimal Arandara – Acting Chairman cum Treasury Representative
Flt./ Lt. (retd.) Sugath Rajapakse
Mr. Vipula Gunatilleka
Dr. Harsha Cabral, PC
Mr. Dumith Fernando
Mr. Senarath Liyanage

The revised board structure comes at a crucial time for the national carrier as it continues to navigate operational and financial challenges.

‘Batik Air’ Malaysia Returns to Colombo Skies
Batik Air Malaysia has officially resumed its direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Colombo today (30 March 2026), reconnecting the two cities with four weekly services operated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The return of operations marks a boost in regional connectivity and travel convenience between Malaysia and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, M & C Companies Pvt. Ltd continues to serve as the airline’s General Sales Agent (GSA).

IndiGo has further strengthened its connectivity to Sri Lanka with the launch of new direct flights between Delhi and Colombo.
Commenced on 29 March 2026, the airline now operates six flights every week on this Delhi–Colombo route.

With the addition of these flights, IndiGo now operates over 55 weekly flights to Colombo from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Delhi.

For UL, DEL is a profitable and high yield route. 6E's new flight between CMB DEL means 🤕

IndiGo will start new direct flights between Delhi and Colombo from March 29 as the airline expands its international network. The airline will operate six flights a week on the route using A320 aircraft, offering more travel options between India and Sri Lanka.

Hi all,
Today will be the last day that Edelweiss will be operating it's A340s to Sri Lanka, will be switching over to the A350 from April 2nd. Will mark an end of an era for A340 passenger services to Sri Lanka.
LASTA340.jpg

I think, both UL and 8D will not wet-lease/dry lease these jets from Middle East Carriers because of many reasons.

First thing is : This Middle east instability will not there for a long time.
Second thing is : Middle east airlines will not lease their grounded fleet
Third thing is : Lease amounts will be quite high.

With several Middle Eastern carriers grounding aircraft due to regional instability, is there a strategic window for SriLankan Airlines and FitsAir to lease these units? To what extent would acquiring these additional aircraft help both airlines meet their current expansion targets and frequency requirements?

Its about Slots and Fleet.

ME conflict: Airlines seek more BIA access

22 Mar 2026 | By Faizer Shaheid

• Qatar Airways, Emirates, Omani carrier make requests: Min.
• Govt. proposes MRIA as alternative
• CAA awaits flight plan details to arrange MRIA

The closure of parts of Middle Eastern airspace has prompted preliminary discussions on the potential use of the loss-making Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) as a contingency hub for Gulf carriers.

A detailed discussion on the matter is scheduled for tomorrow (23), following a number of international carriers seeking more access to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).

Speaking to the media, Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunathilaka said that airlines such as Qatar Airways, Emirates, and an Omani carrier had requested facilities at the BIA to operate additional flights.

“They have made these requests under the current war situation to operate additional flights. In fact, they are currently requesting the BIA. However, due to congestion at the BIA, we are proposing Mattala as an alternative,” he said.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Media Spokesperson and Air Navigation Services Director Thilina Warnasinghe told The Sunday Morning that the proposal remained under discussion, although the airport was operationally ready.

“Mattala Airport is fully prepared and operationally ready to handle any requirements that may arise. However, specific details regarding which airlines are making requests and the precise nature of their operational plans are not yet available for comprehensive analysis,” he said.

“The concept of utilising Mattala as a hub for Gulf flights is currently under active discussion rather than a finalised plan. Nevertheless, the facility is available, it is functioning in line with all regulatory requirements, and it is ready to facilitate any diverted traffic if carriers from the Middle East choose to use it,” he added.

However, he cautioned that physical capacity constraints could limit the airport’s ability to accommodate a large influx of aircraft.

“The primary challenge we anticipate relates to structural limitations in terms of how many aircraft we can park and accommodate at a given time. The apron capacity is limited to approximately 10 aircraft in total. This depends on the mix of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. If the incoming traffic consists entirely of wide-body aircraft, the maximum capacity decreases to around seven or eight. We must be mindful of these spatial limitations when assessing the feasibility of this proposal,” he said.

The MRIA is currently used for a limited number of flight operations. At present, it serves the Russian airline Red Wings and accommodates special flights that do not operate on fixed schedules. It is also used as an alternate airport during adverse weather conditions.

Given its significant operational losses, the Government plans to call for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from private entities across several sectors, including repair and maintenance, cargo operations, hotel and hospitality services, and a flying school, to develop Mattala Airport.

Officials noted that a significant investment was required to normalise operations and resume regular aircraft movements, which the Government is currently unable to undertake. The airport is reported to incur a monthly loss of approximately Rs. 250–300 million.