About Srilankan Airlines

SriLankan Airlines Story

Air Lanka was founded by the Sri Lankan government in July 1979 following the closing of Air Ceylon and originally ran two Boeing 707s leased from Singapore Airlines. In the 1980s various targets were added to the alliance and new planes were added to the family. Air Lanka serviced 26 goals in 1990.

The first Airbus A 320 was added to the Airbus family two years later. Air Lanka was privatised to the Dubai-based Dubai Group in 1998. Emerirates received a 40% interest of $70 million, which was later raised to 43.6% in Air Lanka, and attempted to modernize the airline's corporate identity and operating base, abandon the Air Lanka franchise and establish SriLankan Airlines.

Over the next two years, six Airbus A330-200s were added to the Airbus A330 family and the current Airbus fleet was converted to a two-class Business and Economy cabin layout. At the end of July 2001, half of SriLankan Airlines' total fleets of 12 planes (3 planes demolished and 3 severely damaged) were hit by a terror raid at Bandaranaike airport.

SriLankan Airlines rallied in the following years and expanded its operation in the region, becoming the biggest international company to India with 100 daily departures per week to 11 different locations. The Sri Lankan government decided in 2008 to end the Emirates Airlines managment agreement and the new managment succeeded in driving the company down, and sold six planes in just one year to make a living.

SriLankan Airlines also stopped being a member of Emirates' Skywards airline loyalty scheme when the two airlines ended their relationship. SriLankan Airlines then started its own airline loyalty scheme, SkySmiLes. SriLankan Airlines acted quickly in 2009 with a number of well targeted reduction and recycling activities to become an environmental friendlier business.

SriLankan Airlines launched flight UL557 on 21 March as the first "Green Flight" in the region's South Asian heritage. The Sri Lankan Government strengthened its influence on the airline in 2010 when it purchased Emirates' 43.63% share in Sri Lankan Airlines, ending all connections between Sri Lankan Airlines and Emirates.

SriLankan Airlines extended its worldwide routes to 51 destination in 32 different nations by adding new flights to Guangzhou, Kochi and Moscow in 2011. In addition, after more than a decade, Airbus delivered the first ever Airbus direct Airbus A320-200. SriLankan Airlines was appointed the youngest member of Oneworld in 2012.

The airlines continue to make significant improvements with the purchase of all-new A320s and the conversion of A330 s and A340s (plush trimmed interiors, state-of-the-art IMS rave entertainments and business class flatbed seats). SriLankan Airlines in June 2013 entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for four A350-900s and six A330-300s as part of the company's long range renewals.

SriLankan Airlines will be able to provide its customers with the highest level of passenger convenience while at the same enjoying greater operational efficiencies at all times. Its first A330-300 was delivered to Colombo at the end of October 2014. At the Indian Ocean World Travel Awards 2013 in July 2013, the carrier won a prestigious "Award of appreciation" for its contribution to South Asia's tourist and hotel industries.

SriLankan Airlines, which has been selected for the nomination by the Ministry of Tourism of the Male ives and the Male ives Marketing and PR Corporation, is the biggest multinational company operating 36 weekly services to the Male ives, offering both commercial and recreational services. SriLankan Airlines became an official member of Oneworld on May 1, 2014, making it the first company from the sub-continent of India to join a truly comprehensive air group.

SriLankan Airlines signed a contract for the rental of two Airbus A321neo in February 2015. Until March 2016 SriLankan Airlines had leasing obligations for 4 Airbus A321neo and 2 Airbus A320neo. SriLankan Airlines discontinued its last Airbus A340-300 in January 2016, which was superseded by the five new A330-300s shipped last year, and the A350-900 to be shipped in 2019.

SriLankan Airlines acquired Mihin Lanka, a low-fare recreational lowfare carrier, in October 2016 to provide a strong domestic carrier for Sri Lanka, bringing SriLankan ten new routes to its routes. SriLankan Airlines discontinued services to Paris, Frankfurt and Rome at the end of 2016.

The London Heathrow airport was the only remaining carrier in Europe to survive the great reorganisation which concentrated mainly on the development of intra-Asian intra-Asian services. SriLankan Airlines started non-stop services to Melbourne, Australia every day in October 2017, but this new long-haul service is an exceptional case and the carrier is continuing its short-haul networking policy.

SriLankan Airlines announced an untested total number of passengers of 126 in April 2018. SriLankan Airlines' only fatal event happened in early May 1986 when a Tamil Eelam Liberation Tigers placed air raid was detonated by a Tamil Eelam air raid before departing from a Lockheed L-1011'Tristar' killing 21 of the 148 onboard.