Sri Lanka Aviation

Nice to finally notice someone talking something sensible -the very same cause why I have stayed away from this forum. This place has gotten too political and personally attacking as of late. Unfortunately, not many people always realise that knowing too little can sometimes be a dangerous thing.

Horses mouth or not! This is an unofficial jibe at companies like Emirates and Qatar. They go by financial might and basically outcompete other airlines simply based on Financial power and strength....which is very possible in Sri Lanka because we are too small a market to compete comprehensively with the goliaths in the sky(in terms of affordability and the % of the population flying regularly and the income capacities and in terms of tourists coming through)....

I've explained this before and don't really wish to repeat myself with regards to governments around the world and the nationalistic measures they take to protect their airlines...it happens.....regardless where you are from..some will provide money...some will restrict access....others will ensure that airlines aren't privately owned....I can go on and on....there is no such thing as a completely democratic airline operating in a completely liberalized manner and haven't ever had some form of restriction placed on them...if you believe so...well that's a naive and a well not well thought-out opinion...but everyone is entitled to their own opinions...


we are coming out of a 30 year war...the fact that Sri Lankan is even flying is a blessing....many airlines would have gone bust with the history Sri Lanka and the airline (blown up long-haul planes, night curfews on top of everything else thats happening in the Aviation market with epidemics, GFC's...not many airlines have had to endure in recent memory) itself has had....we have a tiny tourism market, 1 million maybe this year (for the first time ever).....how many Sri Lankan actually fly on a yearly basis....I'm sure the total flying capacity must be around 1/2 to maybe a months worth in a lot of other countries with flying capabilities...we don't have that big a flying population to warrant a massive growth of airlines coming in especially when most of the major airline hubs are a couple of flying distance away....our location to China and India and possibly Africa is our chance and opportunity....

....if Sri Lankan makes a loss on the routes to Europe...the European legacy carriers won't be able to survive...they are simply too Expensive per km.... and in a market like Sri Lanka...we are not there yet that we would pay a good $400-500 more to fly to Europe (im talking about the average citizen)...only a certain bracket and that is a minority....will do so and airlines target that and they know which markets that they will be able to compete in and in markets that they won't be able too...why do you think BA is starting with 3 flights...it's to test the waters and also possibly look at establishing formal relations on the basis of OneWorld....

case in point...in September from Syd...all have stops...if I was flying to LHR....if I was willing to spend I would fly emirates and not the European carriers...its a more comfortable flights and better service...why would I pay more for inferior service...if cost is a barrier...Id fly China Southern...save myself a 1000 for spending money....
to LHR - British Airways/Qantas - $2800
to LHR - Virgin Atlantic - $2700
to LHR - Emirates - $2500
to LHR - China Southern - $1800...


...we don't have the population or the income to supplement such a growth not at least for now....the middle Eastern carriers thrive on the tax-free aspects...the financial backing of oil (leverage for acquiring financial backing of banks - how do you think the half-constructed oasis in Dubai exists and why the grandiose plans to make something out of a fast receding oil supply almost spectacularly failed) if not for oil profits themselves....if just Australia represent close to a 1/4 of of Emirates profits, l do start to wonder how much they actually make from some of the other destinations they fly to....and that in a well managed airline....

The fact that we even have a small growing fleet is a good thing...the new planes being added is another good thing..investing in things like simulators...upgrading the IFE...one world membership....these are things previous managements didnt even have the balls to invest in...but is much needed because we've upto now never added value to the goal of making a minor flying hub...a transit point to the sub-continent for the rest of the world is where we can thrive....we have a long way to go agreed....but it has to start somewhere...this is as a good start as I've seen...

Sri Lankan airlines will never have the might or finances to expand and add new planes and items as a lot of you'll are suggesting....the case of replacing an entire ageing fleet is not a clear-cut exercise and without investment there will be no return....even if we have private investors or a partner airline that is no guarantee that the airline will expand....with the losses in the current aviation market finding a buyer who will procure a sizable share base in another airline is a joke other than for ferrying passengers to their Hub to whisk away to high yielding destinations...case in point BA and Iberia...Etihad and Virgin Australia....Emirates wooing Qantas to name a few....

At the end of the day...take a long term view of things....taking a naive, cynical and short-term view is a Sri Lankan trait that's hard to shake-off....you guys need to look at things with a more open mind and idea of how things are run and what's being geared up for the future...there will be a barrage to this post from you guys who'll harp on the fallacy and failed policies and lots of other things and reply to this with similar sentiments..i dont expect anything different..we are after all typical Sri lankans aren't we...cynical is our middle name...

Soo to cut a long story short....some good things are happening....there will be mistakes and acts of stupidity...I have no doubt and have seen some too....but all I can say is wait and see.....it's not all that bad....analyzing airline business Structures is what I do for a living....hint look at Virgin's turnaround....Borgahetti didn't turn Virgin around just by himself you know...there were lots of little people involved....

Well please do share so we know more.

And i didn't know things have become "personal"?

As for things becoming "political" -no one is promoting politics or the opposition here or calling for Government change or things like that. Whether you like it or not all Governments past to present have tinkered with the airline and done stupid things, and their decisions have an affect on the aviation industry in SL.

Wasn't it too long ago that a correct business decision to scrap flights to Italy was over turned by the President because "the cardinal" had made such a request? (Does Malcom Ranjit really need to fly to Italy/have direct airlinks to Italy for him to do is job? Isn't this guy "always" connected to his buddy upstairs?).


If you do not want people who know little saying wrong things, then take it upon yourself to enlighten them.

I’d love to know the logic behind keeping Mihin Lanka afloat. And that is a serious question.

.... too little can sometimes be a dangerous thing.

Yes that's true...when Sajin Vass Gunawardena was appointed CEO of Mihin; I wondered which business school did he attend... When he left we all know what was end result was right?

Will ALJ be able to do the East Asia routes?

You have raised some valid points no doubt.

But our gripe is the management of UL.

When the boss Nishantha is living a life of extravagant luxury eating the airline’s profits, it’s a problem.

- nishantha always has had money and so does his family.theres a lot of family money there in any case. If you are dwelling on his watch scandal....they can definitely afford it...corruption or not

When the president wants to take some jaunt somewhere he steals a plane.

- that I pointed out before and I find wrong

When Government honcho’s want to fly, not only do they steal planes, they do not even pay.

- again prove it....if your going by my source said this and my uncle said that like the media in Sri Lanka...then that doesn't really say anything.

ULs Management’s and Government’s “favourites” (i.e. best sycophants and relations) get promoted over those who have brains and skill and actually care for the airline. These clowns then make idiot decisions purely designed for their own enjoyment.

- again that's a common gripe in UL. Its more an excuse....I'm sure there are some appointments influenced by management like any other airline...everyone's favorite airline never allows anyone but an emirati to run the top positions....in EMIRATES. It doesnt matter if you've worked for so many years....you'll always have an Emirati to answer too regardless of his qualifications.....I dont condone it but it happens....even Singapore airlines controlling body is directly related to government....some government just do it that way...

Inflight service by the Cabin crew is atrocious. I hate most the “white first” mentality, its disgusting how the cabin crew do not give a damn for us, but will wade hand and foot for a “white god” on board.

- typical Sri Lankan mentality crushed by white imperialists...blah blah....I've seen it...I know people on it.l.l.crew is nice if your nice...you should here some of the awesome passenger stories....maybe we should start a blog for that....it could be improved though although everyone's expectations are different....I guess I'm just used to flying on carriers like BA, KLM and some of the US airlines.....the food is disgusting....there is hardly a cabin crew worthy of a national airine.....and I could go on and on.....I don't fly business unfortunately.....so I see everything

I flew in the 90s with Air Lanka –there was no personal inflight entertainment, but the crew were amazing and the food the best in the world. Not the case anymore. The Cabin crew seem always lost and not that bothered, unless you’re white of course.

- I repeat....the above....I have plenty of friends in Cabin Crew.....it's how they are perceived....if your nice to them....they are so nice to you...regardless of whether you know them or not,...

Can you also explain to me what business sense there is in the State running TWO airlines? Why is Mihin being kept afloat? Does it make sense for passengers who pay for the cheaper Mihin tickets to be “upgraded” to the more expensive UL. Does it make sense that the boss and CEO of Mihin and UL are the same? What is going on with regards to Mihin Lanka? It SERVES NO PURPOSE other than being a burden. There is no commercial sense or business model behind it. It is just there because the Preso’s name is on it.

Mihin Lanka....was a burden....but now it's gearing up to an area that it is starting to make profits.,,it's more of a low cost premium carrier.....if Mihin pays back everything it's borrowed....then write-it-offf.....Id rather get back the money back....and not just dismiss it especially when money is starting to being made.....it allows Sri Lankan to offload routes where it's not competitive in and put an airlines with a smaller cost base....case in point Bahrain

This protection racket to “preserve the national carrier” would be “ok” if UL was THE BEST and the service was perfect that people will be trampling over others to get on board. In fact if that was the case, UL would not need an idiot monopoly to be “protected”.

Yah but honestly.....I still see all these airlines that are queuing up to be the next Unofficial Sri Lankan carrier...lot of rhetoric....but no substance.....let an airline go on an all out onslaught....most of the powerful ones can pressure through the international media.. ... And again if it's a case in point where my uncle said this and that....well good luck with that....

So long as this idiot short sighted “trick” is done to “preserve the national carrier” Colombo will never grow and become a hub. You talk about thinking long term, but every decision made by UL and SL governments past and present is SHORT TERM and stupid. You want Colombo as a hub but also want to “preserve the national carrier”. The latter prevents the former.

You'd think so right..l.but as I said before none of this huge legacy carriers would make the trip from Europe...when BKK, KL and SIN are a couple of hours away.....we don't meet their price market.....the tourists won't pay it....neither will he average Sri Lankan,,,,

Those of us "on the attack", are not doing this because we enjoy it or becaise we want UL to fail. We want UL to BE THE BEST. When we see the ugly, stupid decisions made by the management and Government interference we will say something. The service is BAD when compared to other airlines in the same class as UL and so many people are avoiding UL because of this.

everyone's favorite airline never allows anyone but an emirati to run the top positions....in EMIRATES. It doesnt matter if you've worked for so many years....you'll always have an Emirati to answer too regardless of his qualifications.....

Hey guys,
I'm new to this forum and am not entirely sure how this works. But I am looking for some flight/route data on past SriLankan Airlines flights, to be more specific CMB-SYD route which Sri Lankan operated in 2000/01. I'm doing my thesis on an ASD program and am finding hard to secure some primary information. Do you know anyone who i can get in touch with, or any online resources that you may come across. Thanks

Well obviously, it’s not the ethnicity of the person holding such senior positions/positions of importance that i am complaining about at UL, it is THEIR COMPETANCE and KNOWLEDGE. Have they really earned that place, are they good at it? In SL that’s not the case now then is it?

Usually some relative or buddy of the Government honcho’s are appointed to such imported positions, where usually they make a mess of things out of their cheer inability.

You only need to compare the success (and customer satisfaction) of Emirates against UL to see who is doing a better job when appointing people to positions of importance.

- well with regard to that all I'm saying is people of influence always run a lot of national airlines....Emirates I picked because it's a prime example...it's not about ethnicity...it's about picking people just for the sake of picking people....emirates is successful because their CEO is dynamic and they have alot of financial leverage (as mentioned earlier) and has a sound management teAm...I can't argue with that but even the CEO didnt have any aviation experience..he's a member of the royal family....he is smart though and that's useful....The best managers don't have to go to BUSINESS SCHOOl....they have to have a Vision....and like it or not the current team seem to have a lot going for them.....My opinion though....I'm just looking at things analytically....


Can you read properly?

-
Praetorian Ill just reply to this by saying I can, read, analyze and comprehend very well....I work in the very industry that we are talking about and I have no political affiliations or whims and fancies....I go by whAt I see and analyze....You may judge me to be wrong but that's your opinion...if you can give an opinion learn to understand an opinion and then question

It’s sad that in SL there is still a white worshipping mentality.

I have seen it perfectly in UL where if you’re white the cabin crew goes all out for you, they (like a lot of people in SL) are in awe of the sight of their gods and love to worship. If you happen to be non-white, well wait your turn because it’s suddha first. I’ve witnessed this myself, and it’s insult for those of us who fly UL out a sense of pride/duty to SL to be made to feel second class. (FYI: This does not happen on "everyone's favourite airline" or Qatar or Oman)

This is not entirely ULs fault though, it’s the mentality present in Sri Lanka that no one seems interested in breaking and is sadly enforced by the education system.

So yeah, Sri Lanka is a country still crushed by a slave mentality.



Well duh.
Seriously what are you on about here?

Where did I say anything about hurling abuse and expecting the crew to take it? My gripe is when the crew goes gagga seeing some white skinned person and pays more attention and care for them while not being that bothered about others, who are just as polite and friendly –if not more so/ There was an old Lankan gentleman who was not given water (when he politely requested such from a crew member as he needed to take some medication) for an hour because the crew were more interested in pummelling booze for some suddhas.



This is why I compared it to Air Lanka in the 90s, when the cabin crew were amazing. These days they tend to be lost and unprofessional at times. While the way cabin crew service can be hit or miss when compared to SLs competitors ULs is at the bottom. Standards have dropped, guess training is not as good as it used to be.

Look that may have been the case in your instance but that's changing as far as I know.....there's a long way to go so that has to come from Cabin Crew....the ones I spoke to have been talking about change in service standards but that might still not be enough...I can't agree or disagree completely on this ...I know alots been said on Skytrax but then again it's a personal opinion.....I've seen glowing tributes for some US airlines but again it's a bit skewed....some people don't know any better.....My analysis is on the whole product and the cabin crews take is that....some of up our worthy citizens are very rude....touch Inappropriately....Etc etc.....it's unfortunate about the gentleman agreed


Well i hope so to.

Of course, I am in no position to answer that last question as that is not a decision you or I can make. But if possible, I would like you to analyze the most recent financial reports of both airlines. You may then realise that on an operational level MJ is now making a better return than UL. If used in the right way, MJ's business model is the perfect one that fits SL as the majority in SL cannot afford a full service air ticket. And the advantage of having a common management is that you can then use MJ as a tool for UL to fight the LCCs expanding rapidly into CMB. Again this all depends on the execution, but it is a sound model in theory.

Hey guys,
I'm new to this forum and am not entirely sure how this works. But I am looking for some flight/route data on past SriLankan Airlines flights, to be more specific CMB-SYD route which Sri Lankan operated in 2000/01. I'm doing my thesis on an ASD program and am finding hard to secure some primary information. Do you know anyone who i can get in touch with, or any online resources that you may come across. Thanks

Those flat beds look very inticing and will attract a lot of customers. How many can a A340 hold?

Well said! Analytically your spot on....a lot of well established airlines are doing the LCC model these days....some stay alive By them soo....Mihin started wrong...but the synergy is actually working....it's making money and in turn Sri Lankan is making money because the areas that Mihin competes on Sri Lankan would be too expensive to get on board for....

Hi Adhilh, Welcome to your Air Sri Lanka Forum. I believe you are looking for a Flight Schedule data of SriLankan Airlines Flights operated in 2000/01. Eventually I found these information from the Flight Timetable booklets I collected in the past.

CMB - SYD - 05:00 - 20:30 - UL678 - A340 - JYBHK - Days of Ops : Mo.We.Sa.
SYD - CMB - 21:50 - 04:00 - UL679 - A340 - JYBHK - Days of Ops : Mo.We.Sa + 1 CMB ARR