News
SriLankan to receive managerial help from ME carrier?
April 8th 2016
Notoriously-unprofitable SriLankan Airlines is doing it again. After its failed partnership with Emirates Airline from 1998 to 2008, Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times this week quoted government sources as saying SriLankan is back at the negotiating table with an undisclosed Middle Eastern carrier for help and oversight of the carrier’s management. Read More »
This follows comments from Sri Lankan trade minister, Sujeewa Senasinghe, saying Colombo plans to again restructure its flag carrier and settle its now over $1 billion in legacy debts. “We want to restructure SriLankan with either direct foreign capital or through a management agreement with a foreign airline,” Senasinghe said, suggesting this could take two to three months.
SriLankan chief, Suren Ratwatte, in late December said the Oneworld 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.
“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 curtail its European operations and drop plans to enter the Kangaroo Route market via flights to Melbourne. It has identified China and India as its highest growth potential markets.
