Sri Lanka Aviation

Today's MJ IXM-HRI-CMB was not operated via HRI. It was directly to CMB. Don't know whether it is because of late arrival (4 hrs delay) or decision to discontinue via HRI.

Its not 4 hour delay its 2 hour delay because its is the connecting flight of ul114 which also via matttala ul114 also not arrrive cmb via mattala its operate diretly to cmb that is why ul846 2hours delay

The news article said that they will stop all flights on 9th Feb. Currently they are still operating from BIA - HRIA & back.

No. Its not a connecting flight to ul114.

Its schedule is CMB (12:30) - (13:25) IXM (14:25) - (15:35) HRI (16:20) - (17:10) CMB
But yesterday, it departed 4 hrs late from CMB (16:35).

Today 4R-ALM flying as UL 563 to Paris

its same today also UL848 Mattala/Beijing flight operated directly not visa mattala

Hemaka de Alwis, new chairman at SriLankan Airlines. His profile:https://lk.linkedin.com/pub/hemaka-de-alwis/23/9b4/9a9

Has anybody know more about this guy? is he suitable for this post?

According to this he is an associate of Faizer Mustapha, the new Minister of Aviation.

4R-ALJ back in service. Running as UL 582 now from Rome to Colombo

This says Ajith Dias is the new UL Chairman:

According to airlineroute twitter feed, UL is changing a lot of things.

UL will be cancelling Moscow DME effective 06FEB (i.e - Zero'd out of the system)
UL plans to phase the A340 out by October 2015 (subject to change)
UL to operate A330-200 to LHR (no mix of aircraft) and FCO (moved out of A340-300)

It will be interesting to see the summer 2015 schedule. I think they should start Australia.

Overall DME has become a problematic market for operations, due to Russian Political and Economic situation and issues with getting money in and out of Russia. Even EK, who introduced A380-800 on EK133 service had down graded it to B777-300ER again. Phasing out A340-300. Does this mean that the overall operations of A340-300 will be taken over A330-200? A330-300 with its current issues (or the speculative fuel tank issues) will be back bone of Middle East and Far East Operations. Where as Australia market, I have told this several times, will be loss and low yield unless UL is able to get slots in SYD and MEL that seemlessly connect to European and Middle Eastern or South Asian Market. Also please bear in mind that LHR and SYD are both curfew airports. So slot planning is of paramount importance. Middle Eastern Market, QR, EK and EY are thrashing and dumping seats to SYD and MEL. EK flies to SYD daily 2 A380 non stop from DXB and B77W via Bangkok (DXB-BKK-SYD-CHC). MEL also a three times a day A380 non stop from DXB, B77W via SIN (that seamlessly connect to EK348/349 DXB-CMB-SN), B77W via KUL. QR flies a daily non stop B77W to MEL from DOH. EY 2x nonstop A346 and B77W AUH-SYD and a daily B77W AUH-MEL which will be double from mid 2015.

100% agree. UL shouldn't be after chasing fancy 5th Freedom traffic to Australia. Signing codeshares with QF and MH over routes to Oz is a smart and less-risky move. UL should be concentrating on markets they can do best, end routes that make no sense to the overall network, instititute and revamp hub departure banks, phase out/refurbish old aircraft, move to expand in growing markets like India (CJB,IXE,CCJ,PNQ,AMD) and China (CTU, XMN). Launch routes to ICN, TPE. They should simply takeover Mihin's network and aircraft as it makes no sense anymore.