A340-300 can operate without the center Landing Gear, if I remember, with weight restrictions

For ferry flights, the center landing gear can be stowed.

Thanks. 4R-ALO must be waiting for it's RR engines because normally engines will be fitted at TLS in two to three weeks from the date the aircraft arrived at the flight line. So I am thinking engines-fitting and the test flight for 4R-ALO will be sorted by next week. After the test flight 4R-ALO will be sent to Chateateauroux for paint work. I am wondering why Airbus is still not painting the SriLankan A333s in TLS. But Turkish Airlines A333 which parked next to 4R-ALO at the flight line already received the painting in TLS before it's engines fitted.

10-05-2015 At the flight line as 4R-ALO / F-WWYO / MSN 1650 / A330-343E

There are 4 paint halls capable of painting A330s but they are also painting A350s so I think it is a capacity thing. That said with the recent slowdown of A330 production you may find there is now space.

A350 – 2016 Production List

4R-A - A350-941 - SriLankan Airlines - To be assembled in Toulouse - UL #1

4R-A - A350-941 - SriLankan Airlines - To be assembled in Toulouse - UL #2

4R-A - A350-941 - SriLankan Airlines - To be assembled in Toulouse - UL #3

First – MSN 52

Second – MSN 55

Third – MSN 63

According to Airbus - Delivery on Schedule

Interesting news - Airbus flew a 350 to Manila, for sales presentation ..

Reshuffle of top officials at SriLankan

Several senior officials identified in the report of the board of inquiry on SriLankan Airlines will see their “duties reassigned” next week, authoritative sources said. The management will also seek government consent to an internally drafted restructuring plan. SriLankan has bled an estimated US$ 850 million within the past four years and needs urgent reform. The airline has 7,000 employees.

There will be a “reorganisation of the internal charts” within the next few days, one of the sources revealed, adding that the management was handling a host of other longstanding problems. The official declined to be named. While positions and duties formerly assigned to certain senior officials will change, “nobody will lose jobs”, it was confirmed. The management has also given an assurance that any action taken on the board of inquiry report will be fair and constructive.

The objective is to arrest the decline, get the airline back on track and to make it a viable venture, the sources said. This could take a minimum of two years. Privatisation, “if at all”, will only take place in the future.



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Sri Lankan Airlines has been ranked 73rd among the world’s top 100 airlines for the year 2014.

This is incidentally five positions below the rank that SriLankan Airlines received in the year 2013.

The rankings are compiled by the World Airline Awards organisation.

70 Air Berlin 59
71 Southwest Airlines 74
72 Azerbaijan Airlines 69
73 SriLankan Airlines 68
74 Ethiopian Airlines 85
75 Jet Airways 52

Lanka will open skies to boost tourist arrivals

The government says Sri Lanka will open skies as a way forward policy to improve tourist arrivals.

“This is the way forward,” Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said.

Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose 19.8 perecnt over 2013 to 1,527,153 in 2014. Arrivals rose 18 percent from a year earlier to 157,051 in March 2015, with Western European arrivals recovering after a lull during election in the island and China performing strongly, official data shows.

Total arrivals were up 13.6 percent from a year earlier to 478,838 in the first three months of the year.

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Another clear example of the culture of impunity and zero accountability that still exists within the Airline.

This is a slap in the face for all those who came forward with information about corruption and abuse of power.

Scope for more budget carriers to fly to CMB?

Personally i think budget carriers such as FlyScoot, AirAsia India and Malindo have a great opportunity to expand to South Asia even future by venturing into CMB
This would definitely pave the way for tourist to visit Colombo also contributing to Lankan Budget travelers to get to points in South East Asia and Australia far more easily and at a cheaper rate

What'd do you guys think?

I feel the CMB-SIN route with immediate connections to other prime locations could be catered well by Scoot and also good competition to SG can be initiated by AirAsia India as currently fares to India (MAA,BOM,BLR) are similar to that of flying to KUL or SIN

Does Tiger still fly to CMB? Or has it withdrawn?

Tigers terminated operations i think around a year ago and Thai AirAsia stopped too...but its quite strange as both airlines where doing really well

Air China may operate daily Services to Colombo & Male in the future.

Beijing – Colombo – Male – Beijing - Daily with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Good news if it's been materialised. How did you find out Air China going to start daily Beijing - Colombo onboard B777-300ER ?

Air China Executives via LinkedIn........

Air India to start New Delhi-Colombo flights

Air India is launching new daily service linking capitals New Delhi and Colombo, starting from June 15.

According to Thanuja Lankatilaka, general manager at Indu Sky Aviation, Air India’s GSA in Colombo, an Airbus A321 will be deployed on this route with 170 economy seats and 12 business class seats. Flights depart Colombo at 08.20 while return journeys depart New Delhi at 12.05 daily.

The service is Air India’s second Sri Lankan flight, as it currently flies daily between Colombo and Chennai.