Sri Lanka Aviation

So, MSNs 55 and 60 are finally headed to China Airlines—they were originally meant for SriLankan before that deal fell through.
The A330neo is clearly the main focus for Malaysia Airlines moving forward, but it’s still wild to think they might actually ditch the A350s. Do you guys think SriLankan made the right call by canceling those A350s back in the day?

Well to be quite honest with you, my inner av-geek feels genuine pain when I remember the moment where the government cancelled the A350 order, it was kinda a good move financially, The A330-900 would have suited us better since it has the same type rating as the A330-300/200, and it would fit in better with our expansion stratergy as well. UL does not have the necessary demand and capacity to operate the A350 or the technically capacity right now to operate the A350,if they were considering a North America expansion, then yea, the A350 would make alot more sense and would be well aligned in their fleet stratergy. However, since the A330NEO is sufficient for the current long haul flights that UL offers, such as CMB-SYD, CMB-MEL, CMB-LHR, CMB-FRA and CMB-CDG, I believe it was kinda a good call. Though there should be quick to get the A339 into service by atleast 2039. the A333/A332s are aging.

Perhaps in the future, UL can replace their A332s with A339s, and replace their A333s with A359s. Hopefully they will also work on retiring their old A320ceos and instead work on getting more A321Ns or A320Ns. I belive that UL can be turned around in a few years time if they simply take bold decisions. the Soft Product is amazing, hospitality is great, though the Hard Product should be worked on. Thats my opinion, what do you guys think?

So, word is that a joint task force from the Bribery Commission and the CID is heading out to Australia. They’re tracking down some people involved in that $2 million bribery scandal tied to the SriLankan Airlines Airbus deal with that European airline. Heard about it on NewsWire.

Edelweiss is planning to increase its ZRH-CMB service from two to three weekly flights for the 2026/2027 winter season. This clearly reflects a rise in demand for direct flights between Europe and Sri Lanka.

Found this pic on Google. Pretty sure that's 4R-AND.

Looks like 4R-ABO is gearing up to get back into service! Spotted its ADS-B transponder active in the 320 hangar over the last few days.

SriLankan dropped their Kuwait flights with all the Middle East mess going on. Are Kuwait Airways and Jazeera still flying to CMB normally?

Screenshot_20260721_071728_Chrome.jpg

This depicts 99% reflection of my opinion. UL and Goverment has to take a Simple Bold decision.
Suggestion : A330-941 - 12 Jets + A320-251N - 2 existing Jets + A321-251N - 4 existing Jets + A321-251NX - 8 Jets.

I believe the A330neo was not available to order when UL placed its widebody aircraft order with Airbus in June 2013. UL wanted seven A350-900s as replacement aircraft for the retiring six A340s in 2016.

SriLankan also wanted six A330-343s as replacement aircraft for seven A330-243s. As far as I heard, 4R-ALR was ordered with a special configuration for presidential entourages.

The lease agreement for two A320neos and four A321neos was signed in 2016 and these were delivered from 2018.

SriLankan Airlines' active aircraft fleet in early 2014 consisted of the following types:

Airbus A320-200 (8 aircraft)
​Airbus A330-200 (7 aircraft)
​Airbus A340-300 (6 aircraft)

​I think SriLankan would have ordered four A350-900s to serve LHR, MEL, and FRA, while the rest of the premium high-density routes would have been covered by 7 x A330-343. SriLankan would have then used the second-hand 4 x A330-243s for high-density short- and medium-haul routes.

The A320neo and A321neo would have been used for the premium routes, while the A320/321ceo would have served the rest of the short- and medium-haul routes.

Please correct me if i am wrong.

SriLankan Postpones Melbourne Service Increase to Nov 2026

NW26Oneworld
Written By AeroRoutes - Jim Liu

Published at 1900PDT 22JUL26 / 0200GMT 23JUL26
SriLankan Airlines earlier this month filed changes to its planned service increase on Colombo – Melbourne route. The Oneworld member previously planned to increase service from 7 to 10 weekly from 02AUG26, however this has been postponed to 15NOV26.

The delay to this planned service increase was reflected during the week of 06JUL26’s schedule update.

UL604 CMB0035 – 1600MEL 333 D
UL608 CMB1415 – 050+1MEL 333 247

UL609 MEL0710 – 1210CMB 333 135
UL605 MEL1730 – 2230CMB 333 D

In the video statement, SriLankan Airlines' Chairman (Sarath Ganegoda) outlines the strategic roadmap submitted to the Sri Lankan government to restructure and grow the national carrier over the next five years:
1. Halting Privatization & Restructuring Debt
Under directives from the president, the decision to privatize SriLankan Airlines has been canceled. The airline will remain 100% state-owned, with a primary focus on internal operational restructuring and balance sheet repair.

2. Fleet Expansion & Route Goals
Short-term: Adding aircraft to restore schedule reliability and address immediate capacity shortages.
Long-term Target: Aiming to significantly grow the fleet (targeting to double aircraft count by 2030) to meet rising tourism demands.

3. Financial Self-Sustainability & Revenue Growth
Shifting toward short-term profitability and positive cash flow generation without relying on long-term government operational subsidies.

Strategy to double overall revenues while optimizing operational costs and expanding high-demand regional routes (e.g., India, Southeast Asia).

4. Supporting National Tourism
Positioning SriLankan Airlines as a core driver for national tourism goals, serving as the main carrier bringing international visitors to Sri Lanka.

Correction : Chairman is not Sarath Ganegoda, he is Dimal Arandara

Hi All,

Greetings!!!

Sri Lanka will have the Third International Scheduled Passenger Airline Soon. Initial Fleet will be comprised of Two A320 Jets. Business Model will be LCC (Low Cost Carrier) and will use the same AOC currently owned by DP Aviation. Ownership is currently working closely with CAASL and majority of the ownership will be under a foreign investor.

Thank you for pointing out .looks like I posted the old news. Here's the translation of the video link.

Expanding the Fleet and Routes: The Chairman explains that introducing new aircraft is essential. Currently, with 23 aircraft and the existing staff number, the maintenance staff per aircraft is high, which requires a fleet expansion. By expanding the fleet, the airline can easily add more flights to existing profitable routes like London, Australia, South Korea, and increase frequencies to China, as the market demand already exists.
Exploring New Markets in Africa: Sri Lanka is geographically well-positioned as one of the shortest routes from China to Africa. The airline is studying potential destinations in South Africa, Kenya, Addis Ababa, or Pretoria to tap into new markets.

Lower Lease Costs: The Chairman discusses financial restructuring regarding aircraft leases. While older wide-body leases cost around $800,000 monthly, future leases starting from December are projected to be significantly lower (around $43,000 per month for some wide-body arrangements). This cost-saving will allow the airline to introduce and fund new flights.

Fleet Modernization and Expert Committee: The airline is working with an expert restructuring committee chaired by Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya alongside aviation experts. They are reviewing the operational and financial strategies through rigorous discussions to finalize and present a viable plan to the government.