News
SriLankan to cancel A350 slots?
December 18th 2015
SriLankan Airlines chief, Suren Ratwatte, this week said the government-backed carrier was planning a review of its 2013 wide body order for four A350-900s and six A330-300s, with a view to adding more suitable narrow bodies to its fleet, joining its six A320s and two A321s currently in service. Read More »
“We must re-look at the aircraft order since the order for wide-bodied aircraft would carry more passengers," he told Sri Lanka's Daily News. "SriLankan currently needs narrow-bodied aircraft that could easily be filled with passengers.”
SriLankan has embarked on a cost saving mission to end years of losses. Dubbed the "Red-To-Black" restructuring programme, it will dramatically curtail its European operations and drop plans to enter the Kangaroo Route market via flights to Melbourne.
A SriLankan executive, who spoke to Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader newspaper on condition of anonymity, said the carrier would terminate its unprofitable Frankfurt, Paris and Rome services, but would retain London Heathrow given the cost and difficulty of securing slots at the crowded airport. The oneworld member will focus on expanding and strengthening its presence in China and India, where it has seen solid gains, he said.
Unofficial figures quoted in the country's press claimed “the National Airline of Sri Lanka” has cost tax payers up to 131 billion rupees ($916 million) in accrued annual losses in the past six years.
SriLankan's new management, under Ratwatte, is developing ancillary revenue streams. The airline chief also confirmed plans to partner with an undisclosed Asian carrier in the establishment of an MRO centre at the largely under utilized white-elephant airport of Hambantota. Ratwatte said the intention to set up a facility with global MRO, Lufthansa Technik, would not proceed after the latter chose to expand its Asian MRO hub in Manila.
