SriLankan Airlines welcomes new leased aircraft

Colombo, Jun 4 (PTI) SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier, plans to add two more aircraft by the end of the year, the airline announced here on Wednesday.

The airline today ceremonially welcomed its new Airbus A330-200, the first wide bodied aircraft in eight years for its fleet.

Sarath Ganegoda, the SriLankan Airlines chairman, said that with this new leased aircraft, its fleet consists of 23 aircraft, of which 10 are wide-body and 13 narrow-body.

“We are unable to connect to profitable routes such as Beijing-Colombo, Nairobi-Colombo, and connections to Australia and east Africa. So, the plan is to add at least two more aircraft to the fleet by the end of this year,” Ganegoda said.

The new lease comes in the background of the International Monetary Fund bailout of 2023. The global lender’s reform included divesting the loss-making state-owned enterprises. Srilankan Airlines is one among many such state-owned enterprises. PTI CORR GSP GSP