SriLankan Airlines to acquire seven more aircraft

Sri Lanka's national carrier SriLankan Airlines will acquire seven more aircraft by the end of 2011, the Presidential Media Unit said today.

The fleet of aircraft includes five Airbus A320s, including three brand new aircraft, and two Twin Otter floatplanes.

With increasing tourist arrivals to the country after the end of decades-long conflict in May 2009, the government expects the tourism industry to reach record heights and the government is taking measures to improve tourism facilities.

"We will be celebrating an important new chapter in the history of Sri Lankan Airlines with the arrival of this large number of aircraft within a short period. They will allow Sri Lankan to significantly enhance the passenger experience on board our flights, give us the ability to fly to more cities in the Subcontinent, Middle East and Southeast Asia, and to also increase capacity to existing destinations in these regions." said SriLankan's CEO Manoj Gunawardena.

SriLankan Airlines said the three brand new aircraft, equipped with the latest comforts and entertainment systems including Audio-Video On Demand (AVOD) in both Business and Economy Classes, are scheduled to be acquired from May-November 2011. Two other A320's are likely to arrive in December 2010 and early 2011.

All five aircraft would be on operating leases at very attractive terms of monthly payments, the Airline said.

The two Twin Otters, to be acquired, will be used for relaunching its domestic Air Taxi service this winter.

According to SriLankan, the last time it took delivery of a brand new aircraft was in June of 2000.

The airline is also exploring the possibility of obtaining at least one more long-haul wide-body aircraft to launch services to more new destinations in Europe and the Far East.

Gunawardena said fleet expansion plans of the airline are constantly updated to support Sri Lanka's rapidly growing tourism industry, while keeping in mind the financial requirements of the airline.

SriLankan said the seven aircraft will join its fleet of 13 comprising three A320's, five A330's, and five A340's in a global network covering 49 cities in 31 countries. The twin engined A320's operate to destinations in the Subcontinent, Maldives, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Middle East, while the A330's and A340's operate to the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East.