SriLankan Airlines Chases Foreign Income with Route Reboot | Aviation International News

SriLankan Airlines Chases Foreign Income with Route Reboot

The state-owned carrier may once again be partly privatized as the Sri Lankan government deals with fallout from a financial crisis.

SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330. — SriLankan Airlines operates Airbus A330s on international routes. (Image: SriLankan Airlines)

By Neelam Mathews

February 22, 2023

Facing a dire national financial crisis and an urgent need to generate foreign currency income, state-owned SriLankan Airlines (SL) is restructuring and expanding its network to markets that were strong in the pre-Covid period, including Australia, and China. India remains the flag-carrier’s largest market, though flights have been reduced from 125 to 90 each week.

With negligible domestic business, the airline is aggressively tapping the Indian market to fly via Sri Lanka to international destinations. “Around 55 to 65 percent of our flights [in Airbus A330-300s] to Sydney with three dailies and a daily to Melbourne comprise passengers from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and several secondary Indian cities,” Dimuthu Tennakoon, SL’s head of worldwide sales and distribution, told AIN. SL flies to nine destinations in India, which before the pandemic accounted for around 15 percent of revenues, and plans to add three more soon.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

Airlines Confront Ongoing Impact of Middle East Conflict

High fuel costs and extended route disruption could force longer-term changes

Emirates Airline

Skyhop Plans Island Routes With Noemi's Electric Seaplane

Agreement between start-ups could lead to orders for up to 15 aircraft

Skyhop Aviation and Noemi Aerospace leaders

A220’s Performance Drives BermudAir’s Fleet Growth

Airline plans to gradually replace its Embraer E-Jet fleet

BermudAir Airbus A220

Air India Backs SkyDrive Emergency Medical eVTOL Plans

Partners say eVTOLs could accelerate response times in crowded Indian cities

SkyDrive plans eVTOL medical flights in India

Airbus Balances Shareholder Returns and New Aircraft

Rival Boeing arguably claimed bragging rights at the Farnborough International show

Airbus A350-1000

Virgin Firms Up eVTOL Air Taxi Alliance with Joby

Connections to London Heathrow and Manchester airports will start first

Joby eVTOL route network

ATR Chases New Regional Markets for Twin Turboprops

Iran war and wider geopolitical pressure stall buying decisions

ATR 42-600 in Papua New Guinea

Embraer Racks Up E-Jet Orders at Farnborough

30 firm orders led by Abra

Embraer