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Sri Lanka aviation news

Blue Skies opens Tecnam-based flight training academy

Tecnam partnership with Blue Skies Aviation Solutions marks the launch of a newly formed Approved Training Organization in Sri Lanka. To build a world-class pilot training capability from the ground up, Blue Skies Aviation has selected an all-Tecnam fleet, acquiring three P-Mentors and one P2006T NG. Purpose-built to deliver structured professional pilot tra...

The Story Behind The World's Emptiest International Airport

Hardly anybody goes to Sri Lanka’s Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) because they have a flight. No, the air transport hub is currently a daily flight or two away from being completely defunct, and the people who do go there tend to be tourists making a side trip from the nearby wildlife parks to see the stunning, fully modern airport in the middle of the jungle for the...

Sri Lanka's debt-laden airline to sell four new Airbus planes

Sri Lanka's debt-ridden national airline will sell four new Airbus A350s, a government minister said on Tuesday, two weeks after cancelling an order for four of the aircraft. The state-owned carrier had already sold one of the four planes for a "reasonably good price" to a leasing company and is in talks with airlines over the other three, Deputy State Enterprise Minister Eran Wic...

First Bell 505 Jet Ranger X in Sri Lanka signed for by Fairway Holdings

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, announced today it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Fairway Holdings for a Bell 505 Jet Ranger X. This is the first Bell 505 signed for in Sri Lanka. The aircraft will be used for private travel and tourism across multiple destinations around the island. The agreement was signed with Fairway Holdings in Sri Lanka: Bell Helicopter leader...

SriLankan Airlines keeps eye on breakeven target

SriLankan Airlines is focused on having its operations break even within the next two years, as it takes delivery of new aircraft and restructures its network. Speaking to Flightglobal at Routes Asia in Manila, an airline official says that while the carrier’s load factor was above 80% in 2015, its yields were low. Last January, it was given a mandate by the country’s new gover...

SriLankan Bags an Airline "Oscar"

SriLankan Airlines has been awarded the Superior Achievement in Passenger Experience - Asia Pacific, at the APEX Awards 2015 held in Oregon of the United States. The award is considered by many to be the Oscars of the airline world. The global award, presented to SriLankan Airlines on Oct. 8, recognizes a remarkable surge in improvements made to passenger experiences both on-board and...