Sri Lanka Aviation

I'm aware that RJ is reducing capacity to Colombo, any news about this?

I think UL going to loose its market in South Tamilnadu. SpiceJet has applied to start Colombo flight from Madurai for coming Summer-12 schedule. We just got his information through RTI act in India.

A bit surprising that UL is planning to introduce A340s on such short flights...a bit of an overkill, I would say? Maybe A330s would have been an better option if the loads justify. However, apart from intro'ing a widebody (which is a good thing from a pax point of view) the timings should be reviewed. BOM CMB is 0320/0545 which is a horrible time and leaves you dead tired by the time you reach your hotel, if you dont tire out in the early morning CMB traffic on the airport road....the return timings are also a problem coz you arrive in BOM at 0220 which is peak time at CSIA, with a huge rush and takes a very long time to clear immigration/baggage claim etc. UL would do good to have possibly 3 or 4 days a week daytime flights (afternoon is a good time to arrive and leave from BOM...very less rush at the International terminal)...hope they consider this.

A UL A332 is in Islamabad doing VIP flight for Lankan President.

UL's 8th A320:

4R-ABP SriLankan Airlines Airbus A320-214 - cn 5086

Airframe Details
Construction Number (MSN) 5086
Aircraft Type Airbus A320-214
Test registration F-WWIJ
Airframe Status On Order

http://www.planespotters.net/Product...n-Airlines.php

Sri Lankan Airlines is sponsoring an Asia Pacific tour event as part of efforts boost the profile of the Sri Lanka's golf courses and boost up market sports tourism

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/f...nid=1004317130

I thought RJ is doing well in CMB........

Royal Jordanian’s Board of Directors took the decision to suspend operations to five destinations on its route network in order to reduce the operating costs brought up by the soaring fuel prices and to offset the decline in tourism to the region, the outcome of the Arab spring and the political unrest.

RJ President/CEO Hussein Dabbas said the company suspends operations to Brussels, Munich and Alain starting with March and April respectively, and to two other destinations in the Gulf area, to be announced at a later time. The decision was based on the assessment of the performance and economic feasibility of these stations.

Dabbas added that in order to reduce costs, the company has also decided to reduce the number of frequencies to destinations like Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Geneva, Amsterdam, Colombo and Khartoum.

http://www.rj.com/en/news/title/1939.html

SriLankan Airlines’ losses fly higher: Moves to lease Heathrow slots

The national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, plans to sell or lease its slots at Heathrow airport in Britain under an extensive review programme as it acknowledged incurring a huge loss for the current financial year.

The losses made in 2011/2012 financial year ending March 31 would go beyond the 2010/2011 level of Rs. 202 million and exceed the budgeted loss of Rs. 8.3 billion, SriLankan Airline’s Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe told the Sunday Times.

The airline had budgeted the 2011/2012 losses at Rs. 8.3 billion but had expected it to increase due to the high fuel prices.

I can no longer comment on matters related to UL as I am involved at the airline in a rather important position. However, what I can assure you is that significant efforts are being made to bring the airline back onto the right track and that we have made great progress. The fruits of those efforts have surely shown up recently.
It's been barely over six months since the new management took over, and it is only fair to give them some more time; as almost nothing can be implemented instantly in our industry. Change can take some time.
I am not being biased at all, but one should also not forget that UL had to make significant investment on aircraft reconfigs.

^^
Blah...blah...blah...

This megalomania is what killed UL and destroy national wealth.

Seriously people, accept that you screwed up and own up to your mistakes.

UL managed to turn a profit after 9/11 when the entire global aviation industry was in the pooper and half of ULs fleet went up in smoke. Yet they cannot make a profit at a time the tourist industry in the country has grown nearly 200%

Time table on official website of SriLankan Airlines shows Wednesday service between Colombo and Bahrain with Airbus A321 aircraft. http://srilankan.com/flightschedule.html

This just absolutely sucks. It really sucks that someone is now trying make money by selling the LHR slots. LHR was one of the bread and butter routes for UL and if they are having trouble there now, it just shows the incompetency of the people running the airline now. Blaming it on the European recession and defending the new management is a lame excuse.

Check the history what happened to other airlines who tried selling off LHR slots 'for economical reasons'.............. Big hint : They are not around anymore.

A little hint .. Airlines don't make money when planes are idling ..

and there is no rule book that says that an A340 (300 variant especially) cannot be used for short range flights ..

I used to grab the A 345 SIN-CGK, when the plane was supposedly meant to fly the ULH flights .. so is SQ crazy ?

Rising fuel prices may hit more airlines

More airlines are seeing fuel cost crimping their profitability and analysts warn some airlines may even have to go bust if jet fuel prices continue to soar.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that this year's fuel bill will cost the industry US$32 billion (S$40.4 billion) more than last year.

Jet fuel contracts are traded over-the-counter and dealers say these have gained at least 10 per cent since the start of the year. IATA sees jet fuel averaging US$129.70 a barrel for this year.

Jet fuel is an important cost component for any airline and it could account for as much as 50 per cent of operating cost, analysts say.

Airlines could hedge, stockpile or buy jet fuel from the spot market. With the limited options, jet fuel experts believe having a good judgment on oil price trends will be key to an airline's profitability.

For example, Cathay Pacific booked HK$962 million (S$156.5 million) in realised fuel-hedging gains and HK$1.2 billion in unrealised mark to market gains in the first half of last year.

"Hedging helps smooth out the curve but if the underline price is going up all the time and stay high. Sooner or later, the jet fuel price will have to pass on," said Purvin & Gertz managing consultant Yeo Yu Kin.

Singapore Airlines (SIA), for instance, typically hedges between 20 and 60 per cent of its fuel requirements.

Currently, SIA says it is hedging about 32 per cent of its total jet fuel requirements at US$124 per barrel. "If you pass on the fuel surcharge to your customers while your competitors don't, you lose out on market share," cautions Mr Paul Ng, partner, head of aviation at Stephenson Harwood

Looking ahead, analysts say threats of supply cuts by Iran and political unrest in Nigeria will likely push jet fuel prices higher in the near term.