A commercial passenger flight operated by Sri Lankan Airlines made a dramatic low level take off from Heathrow airport. The Airbus A340 skims low over passing road traffic on Myrtle Avenue before eventually climbing away safely. UK. 5th February 2012

SriLankan on break even path

SriLankan Airlines can financially break even by 2014 predicted, Chief Operating Officer, SriLankan Airlines, T. Jayaseelan. A stalwart in the aviation sector with over 20 years experience in the trade , Jayaseelan said that the airline is on a five year recovery plan.

Commenting on their future plans he said that they are focusing on frequency increase rather than adding more destinations. The airline is aiming to be a strong player in the current destinations that it operates. ‘Our aim is to have a minimum daily frequency to all destinations and would also look at more code sharing agreements,’ he disclosed.

Mihin Expands in India

Mihin may look at some new destinations in India and would consider adding Manila to their network.

Currently the Indonesia and Bangladesh operations are very successful and the airline is looking at a third aircraft,’ he said.

Absolutely spot on.

This is what I have been saying all along that UL should have done in the first place.

Now get rid of Mihin and you will be golden.

Nice Pictures ...

4R-ALJ was ferried in CMB on the 14th Mar 2012.

Does anybody have any pictures of 4R-ALJ from CMB ? When she will be operating the Revenue Flight ? Is that True 4R-ALJ was delivered to UL with no seats ?

Could be it was delivered without seats, aircraft was with Thomas Cook Arlines before, and thier seat configuration is 3-4-3 for an A330, SLs is 2-4-2, plus they are refitting with new saets and entertainments too.., so makes sense to supply it without seats..

Sri Lankan Airlines is focusing on maximizing yields on its network and shifting capacity from Europe where competition is high to Asia, amid rising fuel prices

SriLankan ‘struggling to fly high’:





Some good points by the CEO in this article. Also does anyone have an update on what is replacing the 340s?

flydubai to touch Mattala

Fly Dubai requests more flights

Fly Dubai operates seven flights per week to the Bandaranaike International Airport. It hoped to increase this to 14 flights per week and operate another 14 flights to Mattale International Airport this year and next year.

Great news ! FZ interested in flying to HIA..

Do you think International Operations will become successful in Hambantota Airport ? Any Idea What is the IATA & ICAO code for HIA ?

He has been made his RTO today... Normally his first flight tomorrow

Emirates Says ‘Whole Load of Airlines’ Will Fail in Fuel Squeeze

Emirates, the biggest airline by international traffic, said more carriers will go bust this year as fuel costs and sluggish economies undermine profitability.

“We can reel off a whole load of airlines that are teetering on the brink or are really gone,” Tim Clark, the Dubai-based carrier’s president, said in an interview. “Roll this forward to Christmas, another eight or nine months, and we’re going to see this industry in serious trouble.”

Airline profits will plunge 62 percent in 2012 to $3 billion, equal to a 0.5 percent margin on sales, as oil prices rise, the International Air Transport Association said this week. Emirates’s fuel bill accounts for 45 percent of costs and may jump by an “incredibly challenging” $1.7 billion in the year ending March 31, according to Clark, who says he’s sticking with a no-hedging strategy rather than risking a losing bet.

“You think you’re going to win, but in the long term you always lose,” Clark said yesterday at the Gulf carrier’s head office near Dubai International Airport. “When we enter into derivatives, betting whatever it may be with counterparties who actually control the price of fuel in the first place, you have to ask yourself, ‘Is that smart?’”

AMR Corp. (AMR1)’s American Airlines is restructuring after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and India’s Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. (KAIR) may lose its license as it struggles with cash shortages and losses. That’s after Barcelona-based Spanair SA collapsed Jan. 27, followed that week by Hungarian national carrier Malev Zrt. (MALEV)

Bailouts, Bankruptcy

Clark said some private airlines will need to be bailed out by governments in the countries where they’re based, though that will raise aid issues with the European Union and other parties.

In the U.S., more filings for Chapter 11 protection are likely, while smaller carriers operating in the Indian Ocean region and in Africa face “difficulties,” the executive said.

“This is what the fuel prices are doing,” he said. “It’s about time somebody sitting there, controlling the fuel prices, began to look a little bit more seriously at the devastation it’s causing, not only to airlines but to the global economy.”

The industry couldn’t survive a further 10 or 15 percent increase in fuel prices, especially with the European Union’s carbon emissions trading system about to add to costs, he said.

At Emirates the fuel bill, while not over budget, has “zapped the bottom line,” and that will be evident in annual results scheduled to be published next month, Clark said.

U.K. Addition

Clark said Emirates passed on an opportunity to invest in Air Berlin Plc (AB1), Europe’s third-biggest discount carrier, which sold stock to Etihad. “We decided it wasn’t for us,” he said.

Though Qatar Air is also buying 35 percent of cargo specialist Cargolux Airlines International SA, the CEO said he’s not interested in purchases in Europe or elsewhere, having ended a decade-long management accord with SriLankan Airlines in 2008 after the Asian country’s government sought more control.

“We have enough to do without getting involved in the running of other businesses, even though they are related,” he said. “We had our fair share of that in Sri Lanka for 10 years.”

Tiger Airways to Start Sri Lanka Service from late-May 2012

Tiger Airways starting 31MAY12 will launch service to Sri Lanka, with 3 weekly Singapore – Colombo service on board Airbus A320 aircraft. This service remains subject to Government Approval, however reservation should be available for general public shortly.

Schedule:

TR2572 SIN0915 – 1045CMB 320 7
TR2572 SIN2035 – 2205CMB 320 24

TR2573 CMB1200 – 1830SIN 320 7
TR2573 CMB2305 – 0535+1SIN 320 24

Merci !! Shunn.

And Welcome to Our forum.