83-424: Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) ( Sinhala : බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, romanized : Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa ; Tamil : பண்டாரநாயக்க சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம், romanized: Paṇṭāranāyakka Carvatēca Vimāṉa Nilaiyam) (commonly known as Colombo International Airport , Colombo–Bandaranaike International Airport , and locally as Katunayake International Airport ) ( IATA : CMB , ICAO : VCBI )
166-419: A 19.5 inches wide seat that can be reclined into a 180-degree 79 inches long bed. Each seat has a 15-inch personal IFE system. SriLankan's newest fleet additions will feature Thales Avant IFE, which features modern entertainment features and extended business class seats. Its A330-300 fleet presents an all-aisle access seating in a 1-2-1 arrangement on Business Class. On its A320 and A321 fleet, Business class
249-662: A Dravidian origin for this word. ), dola for pig in Vedda and offering in Sinhala. Other common words are rera for wild duck, and gala for stones (in toponyms used throughout the island, although others have also suggested a Dravidian origin). There are also high frequency words denoting body parts in Sinhala, such as olluva for head, kakula for leg, bella for neck and kalava for thighs, that are derived from pre-Sinhalese languages of Sri Lanka. The oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsan̆garavā , written in
332-416: A UNP attorney as executive directors. None of them knew how to run an airline. Air Lanka was established as the flag carrier of Sri Lanka once the government shut down the bankrupt Air Ceylon . Air Lanka's initial fleet consisted of two Boeing 707 , leased from Singapore Airlines . One Boeing 737 was leased from Maersk Air and maintained by Air Tara. On 24 April 1980, the lease ended; Air Lanka received
415-455: A counter in the arrival lobby with a fleet of over 600 vehicles. This road is linked to coastal cities like and Galle and Matara by Southern Highway with a travel time of 2-2.15 hours to Matara. In addition to traditional taxi services, travelers can access ride-sharing services such as Uber and PickMe. These platforms offer a reliable means of travel, allowing passengers to easily reach their destinations at an affordable price. Furthermore,
498-451: A decade-long partnership with Emirates, the name was changed to SriLankan Airlines; the livery was changed into a much simpler one, with an all-white fuselage, covered by blue 'SriLankan' titles, and the tail adorned with the new corporate logo. In May 2014, an Airbus A330 and an Airbus A320 in special oneworld livery was delivered to commemorate the airline's establishment as a oneworld member. Newly delivered aircraft are adorned with
581-598: A hub for connecting various domestic destinations. Currently, Cinnamon Air operates several flights per week to domestic destinations, with the most popular being Batticoloa , Trincomalee , Sigiriya , and Hambanthota . A coach service operates every 15 minutes from the terminal to Colombo via E03 Colombo – Katunayake Expressway , with a travel time of around 30 minutes. Coach services are sometimes operated using Mitsubishi Fusa Rosa buses which can carry around 20 people. These busses are small with average legroom. Passengers can also get buses to and from
664-711: A hub for flights to Asia. The first destination of the expansion plan was Shanghai ; the route was initiated on 1 July 2010. The airline commenced flights to Guangzhou on 28 January 2011. SriLankan joined the Oneworld alliance on 1 May 2014. During 2014 it started to renew and increase its fleet, with purchases of Airbus A330 and A350 models. Currently, SriLankan operates an all-Airbus fleet except for its discontinued Air-Taxi services. SriLankan retired their last Airbus A340-300 on 7 January 2016 with its last scheduled flight from Chennai to Colombo. The airline terminated three European routes – Frankfurt, Paris and Rome – by
747-519: A new pier with eight boarding gates, and fourteen passenger boarding bridges, with a dedicated gate comprising two passenger boarding bridges for the new Airbus A380, will be included in the proposed new complex. There would also be a remote apron and an additional nine parking stands to ease air traffic movement. There would be a tax-free apparel shopping mall at the Katunayake BOI Zone to attract more business visitors to Sri Lanka. The mall
830-519: A passenger-train service was launched between the Airport and Colombo Secretariat Station, in June 2010. The airport is used by Emirates as an alternative emergency airport for its Airbus A380 aircraft. On 9 January 2012, an Airbus A380-800 operated by Emirates landed at Bandaranaike International Airport. This was the first time an Airbus A380 had landed in a Sri Lankan airport. SriLankan Airlines
913-779: A period of prior bilingualism: "The earliest type of contact in Sri Lanka, not considering the aboriginal Vedda languages, was that which occurred between South Dravidian and Sinhala. It seems plausible to assume prolonged contact between these two populations as well as a high degree of bilingualism. This explains why Sinhala looks deeply South Dravidian for an Indo-Aryan language. There is corroboration in genetic findings." In addition to many Tamil loanwords , several phonetic and grammatical features also present in neighbouring Dravidian languages set modern spoken Sinhala apart from its Northern Indo-Aryan relatives. These features are evidence of close interactions with Dravidian speakers. Some of
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#1732797570780996-528: A privately owned low-cost carrier, and domestic carrier Cinnamon Air . The other airport serving the city of Colombo is Ratmalana International Airport . The airport began as a Royal Air Force airfield in 1944 during the Second World War , RAF Negombo with No. 45 Squadron RAF (1946–49), No. 232 Squadron RAF (1945), No. 249 Squadron RAF (1950) and No. 1303 Flight RAF (1945–46). In 1957, Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike removed all
1079-698: A redesigned livery accompanying a blue underbelly slogan promoting Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. SriLankan Catering is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines, providing flight catering services to all airlines serving the Bandaranaike International Airport . Its other businesses include provision of aircraft maintenance and overhaul services, ground handling services, packaged holiday products, aviation training and IT services. As of September 2024 SriLankan itself flies to 37 destinations and 21 countries. Including code-shares with other airlines, it provides services to
1162-500: A relief flight out of Wuhan , China. SriLankan lost 36.3 billion rupees up to August 2020 and the government approved a voluntary retirement package for 560 employees at a cost of 1.46 billion rupees. From May 2022, due to the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka which resulted in the country facing a fuel shortage, SriLankan's long-haul flights had to make stopovers at Trivandrum , Chennai and Kochi in India to refuel. For
1245-515: A replacement Boeing 737 leased from Royal Brunei . On 1 November 1980, Air Lanka commenced wide-body operations which were leased Lockheed L1011-1 Tristar from Air Canada . On 15 April 1982, Air Lanka purchased an L1011 Tristar from All Nippon Airways . Another L1011 was leased from Air Canada whilst a third was purchased from All Nippon. With the introduction of Tristar aircraft, the Boeing 707 were phased out. On 1 May 1982, HAECO took over
1328-588: A significant decrease in 2021 to 2023. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cargo volumes are expected to recover by 2024 to 2025. Bandaranaike International Airport connects to 52 airports across 27 countries. The airport operates an average of around 590 scheduled international flights weekly. The routes between Colombo (CMB) and Dubai (DXB), Male (MLE), and Chennai (MAA) are the busiest, with an average of 53 flights operating between these destinations per week. Bandaranaike International Airport serves as
1411-459: A total of 114 destinations in 62 countries. Its interline partnerships and membership in Oneworld alliance allow it to offer passengers connectivity to over 1,000 cities in 160 countries. SriLankan currently operates to 14 destinations in India, more than any other foreign airline. It is also the largest foreign airline in the Maldives, serving two cities. On 11 June 2012, SriLankan Airlines
1494-486: Is a Japanese-built Class S5 DMU Unit, constructed between 1969 and 1970. Initially, the train was chartered to pick up passengers from Katunayake but, as of April 2024, it is no longer in operation. Nevertheless, according to some sources, there are plans to restart the express train with more modern DMUs such as the Class S13 and Class S14. However, it remains largely speculative at this point. A high-speed rail system
1577-463: Is a conspicuous example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia . Sinhala ( Siṁhala ) is a Sanskrit term; the corresponding Middle Indo-Aryan ( Eḷu ) word is Sīhala . The name is a derivative of siṁha , the Sanskrit word for 'lion'. The name is sometimes glossed as 'abode of lions', and attributed to a supposed former abundance of lions on the island. According to
1660-599: Is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka , who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also spoken as the first language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about 2 million speakers as of 2001. It is written using the Sinhala script , which is a Brahmic script closely related to the Grantha script of South India. Sinhala
1743-607: Is configured in a 2-2 layout, offering extra reclining seats, each seat with a width of 19 inches and a pitch between 39 and 49 inches. SriLankan provides in-seat entertainment in Economy class on all its wide-bodied aircraft and the vast majority of narrow-body aircraft. On its A330-300 and A320/A321neo aircraft, all cabin classes are provided with the option of paid-for in-flight internet access and mobile telephony services. SriLankan Airlines offer AVOD inflight entertainment on its aircraft. The A320, A321 & A330-200 equipped with
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#17327975707801826-484: Is divided into four epochs: The most important phonetic developments of Sinhala include: According to Wilhelm Geiger , an example of a possible Western feature in Sinhala is the retention of initial /v/ which developed into /b/ in the Eastern languages (e.g. Sanskrit viṁśati "twenty", Sinhala visi- , Hindi bīs ). This is disputed by Muhammad Shahidullah who says that Sinhala Prakrit branched off from
1909-546: Is faster, albeit more expensive. Cinnamon Air operates scheduled seaplane flights from Seeduwa Dadugam Oya near the airport using Cessna 208 aircraft. They also operate various charter flights to Ratmalana International Airport and other airports around the country. In 1956, with the departure of the RAF from RAF Negombo, the Royal Ceylon Air Force took over and renamed the station RCAF Katunayake. With
1992-404: Is important to note that Katunayake Railway Station is a low-frequency station, with trains rarely stopping there except for slow trains, commuter trains, or tanker trains used to haul jet fuel from Colombo to the airport. In terms of price comparison, rail is the cheapest option but often the slowest form of transportation out of the airport. Travelers usually opt for bus or car transportation as it
2075-447: Is in-flight catering to airlines that operate to Bandaranaike International Airport . Its state-of-the-art flight kitchen at BIA has a capacity of 25,000 meals per day. Incorporated in 1979, as Air Lanka Catering Services Limited with BOI status, SriLankan Catering commenced business as a joint venture with Thai Airways International. In 1998 when the joint venture agreement with Thai Airways International lapsed Air Lanka Limited bought
2158-520: Is located about 300m away from the terminal, and can accommodate cars, vans, double cabs and jeeps. Phase II of the airport expansion project aims to build a five storey car park to accommodate increasing passenger traffic. The airport has four available frequencies that pilots can use to communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC). The first is the Bandaranaike International Airport Approach at 132.4 MHz, and
2241-412: Is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, alongside Tamil . Along with Pali , it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature. Early forms of the Sinhala language are attested as early as the 3rd century BCE. The language of these inscriptions, still retaining long vowels and aspirated consonants, is a Prakrit similar to Magadhi , a regional associate of
2324-615: Is proposed to connect the city of Negombo to the city of Colombo via BIA airport by an electrified high-speed rail link to Colombo Fort, where it will connect to the proposed Colombo Light Rail. Currently, the Puttalam - Colombo Fort rail is active, using several diesel-engine-powered trains. Passengers can access commuter rail from Katunayake Railway Station and continue their journey up to Colombo Fort. From there, various intercity trains are available to Badulla , Batticaloa , Galle , Jaffna , Kandy , Matara , and Trincomalee . However, it
2407-428: Is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance . It was launched in 1979 as Air Lanka following the termination of operations of the original Sri Lankan flag carrier Air Ceylon . As of April 2024, it is Sri Lanka's main airline by number of aircraft and destinations. Its hub is Bandaranaike International Airport . Following its partial acquisition in 1998 by Emirates , it
2490-424: Is the largest airline operating at the airport, with a fleet of 27 Airbus aircraft. Bandaranaike International Airport (airport code CMB) at Katunayake, Sri Lanka, is 32.5 kilometers north of the national capital, Colombo. 37 airlines currently serve the airport's over 10.79 million annual passengers. The airport has three passenger terminals. Terminal 1 is the current international terminal, built in 1967. Terminal 2
2573-496: Is the main international airport in Sri Lanka . It is named after former Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (1899–1959) and is in the suburb of Negombo , 32.5 kilometres ( 20 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles) north of the nation's capital and commercial center, Colombo . It is administered by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd and serves as the hub of SriLankan Airlines , the national carrier of Sri Lanka, Fitsair ,
Bandaranaike International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue
2656-536: Is the new international terminal, which is expected to be completed in 2025. Terminal 3 is the new domestic terminal, which opened in November 2012. The Bandaranaike International Airport has a single runway (04/22), with an asphalt surface. The take-off and landing distances are 3,441 m and 3,350 m respectively. In addition, Phase II of the BIA expansion project is to have a second runway, also able to accommodate
2739-428: Is to be adjacent to the arrival terminal and connected by a sky bridge. The second stage will involve the acquisition of 600 ha (1,500 acres) of public land, the construction of a runway capable of accommodating new-generation airplanes, an aircraft repair and maintenance center, an arrival and a departure terminal, a shopping arcade, a cargo complex connected to the airport by rail and a multi-storey car park. Under
2822-491: The A330-300 and the future A350-900. As of January 2016, construction of the airline's first Airbus A350-900 started. On 23 February 2015, SriLankan Airlines finalized a deal with Air Lease Corporation and AerCap to acquire two Airbus A321neo aircraft, one from each leasing firm. On 10 May 2016, due to financial difficulties, the airline announced it would cancel its order of eight A350 aircraft. As of December 2019,
2905-729: The Middle Indian Prakrits that had been used during the time of the Buddha . The most closely related languages are the Vedda language (an endangered, indigenous creole still spoken by a minority of Sri Lankans, mixing Sinhala with an isolate of unknown origin and from which Old Sinhala borrowed various aspects into its main Indo-Aryan substrate), and the Maldivian language . It has two main varieties, written and spoken, and
2988-587: The UNESCO National Commission of Ceylon According to Wilhelm Geiger , Sinhala has features that set it apart from other Indo-Aryan languages. Some of the differences can be explained by the substrate influence of the parent stock of the Vedda language . Sinhala has many words that are only found in Sinhala, or shared between Sinhala and Vedda and not etymologically derivable from Middle or Old Indo-Aryan. Possible examples include kola for leaf in Sinhala and Vedda (although others suggest
3071-516: The "Five Precepts" (Pancha Seela) of Buddhism and the three "crown feathers" represent the "Triple Gem" (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha) of Buddhism. Red reflects the predominant colour in the Sri Lankan national flag, which represents the majority race in the country, the Sinhalese. This was the sole livery of the airline for nearly two decades, from January 1979 to October 1998. After Air Lanka began
3154-464: The 13th century CE, recognised a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. The grammar lists naram̆ba (to see) and koḷom̆ba (fort or harbour) as belonging to an indigenous source. Koḷom̆ba is the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo . The consistent left branching syntax and the loss of aspirated stops in Sinhala is attributed to a probable South Dravidian substratum effect. This has been explained by
3237-553: The 50th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force, the airfield was presented with the President's Colours . SLAF Base Katunayake offers a wide range of recreational and sports facilities for its personnel, including a fully equipped gymnasium, a sports arena, a swimming pool, and a cinema. The base provides accommodation to several hundred families of Air Force personnel through its married quarters complex. It serves as
3320-486: The A380, with another taxiway to the second runway. Aircraft such as the Boeing 777, A350-1000, and 747 are the largest aircraft that the runway can currently accommodate. There have been instances where even larger aircraft have landed at the airport but had to use excessive braking to stop. This has resulted in the aircraft's brakes overheating. Bandaranaike International Airport has six lounges. There are four paid lounges:
3403-610: The B777 aircraft usually deployed by Emirates on flights to Sri Lanka. Future projects include a second runway to support the Airbus A380 , a further eight passenger gates , a domestic terminal , a five-storey car-park, and a five-star hotel neighbouring the airport. Construction of new approach channels to the airport began in April 2017. A new split-level passenger terminal building, which separates arrivals and departures vertically,
Bandaranaike International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue
3486-528: The British Military airfields from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and the airfield was handed over to the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCAF) and renamed Katunayake; part of it still remains a military airfield. In 1964 Anil Moonesinghe , the Minister of Communications, started the building of a new international airport to replace Ratmalana , with Canadian aid. The airport was completed in 1967, and Air Ceylon ,
3569-463: The Colombo – Katunayake Highway will be provided directly from the terminal. The construction work of Package B –"Remote Apron and Taxiways" commenced in April 2017. The second phase of the expansion project is being carried out with Japanese assistance and is expected to be completed by 2025. The second phase of the expansion project at Katunayake Airport is under way with Japanese assistance, and
3652-572: The Development Project Phase II, Stage 2, a second passenger terminal and a required utility for a second terminal will be constructed. The terminal, aircraft parking apron, and public utilities will also be expanded. The existing airport terminal will be converted to a domestic and regional terminal, when the new complex is ready. A two-tier passenger terminal with arrivals and departures physically separated as found in most modern airports will also be constructed. A rapid exit to
3735-716: The Eastern Prakrits prior to this change. He cites the edicts of Ashoka , no copy of which shows this sound change. An example of an Eastern feature is the ending -e for masculine nominative singular (instead of Western -o ) in Sinhalese Prakrit. There are several cases of vocabulary doublets , one example being the words mæssā ("fly") and mækkā ("flea"), which both correspond to Sanskrit makṣikā but stem from two regionally different Prakrit words macchiā (Western Prakrits) and makkhikā (as in Eastern Prakrits like Pali ). In 1815,
3818-666: The Executive Lounge, Silk Route Arrival and Departure Lounges, and Gold Route Arrival and Departure Lounges. Passengers transiting via CMB can pay around $ 21 USD per person for a 3 to 6 hour stay. Additionally, there are two "Privilege Lounges," namely the Lotus Lounge and Araliya Lounge. Sri Lankan Airlines also operates its own Serendib Lounge, which passengers traveling in business class can access for free. Lounges provide complimentary food and drink services. The airport has three open air parking areas. The remote car park
3901-573: The Phase II Expansion Project. Construction of the new Stage II, Phase II Expansion Project is expected to commence in April 2017 and is expected to be completed by 2020. On 7 May 2007, the Sri Lankan Government shifted military aviation operations out of the space adjoining the airport to SLAF Hingurakgoda , thus paving the way for the expansion of civilian operations. As part of the airport development program,
3984-566: The RAVE ZODAIC Inflight Entertainment. The new A330-300 have the latest Thales AVANT Inflight Programme. SriLankan offers onboard WiFi connectivity with new Airbus A330-300 and A320/A321neo fleets in partnership with OnAir. SriLankan is South Asia's first airline to have on-board WiFi capability. SriLankan Catering Limited is the sole airline caterer in Sri Lanka. Its hub is at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). SriLankan Catering's main line of business
4067-623: The RFPs, SriLankan received one A320 aircraft on 21 December 2023. The airline names some of its aircraft after historically significant towns and cities in Sri Lanka, with aircraft named after Anuradapura , Yalpanam , Yapahuwa , Sri Jayawardenapura , and others. SriLankan also formerly operated the following aircraft: SriLankan offers two classes of service, Business Class and Economy Class. In Business Class, SriLankan offers full flat-bed seats on all of its long haul fleet with Audio Video on Demand (AVOD) facilities. The fully flat bed seat offers
4150-488: The airline back to the Government of Sri Lanka in a deal that was finalized in 2010, thus ending their partnership. In 2008 when Emirates pulled out, the accumulated profit of SriLankan was Rs. 9.288 billion in that financial year. From 2008 to 2015, when the government ran it, the loss for the seven years was Rs. 128.238 billion (US$ 875 million). Following the ownership transfer, SriLankan began promoting Colombo as
4233-532: The airline to Captain Rakitha Wickramanayake and the board of directors consisting of industry officials and managers. The former Prime Minister of Singapore asked, "How could an airline pilot run an airline?" A 1986 Presidential Commission reported on the mismanagement of the Board of the airline. Under President Wijetunga 's appointment of a retired General as Chairman/MD with Air Vice Marshals and
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#17327975707804316-466: The airline's image and fleet. The government retained a majority stake in the airline but gave full control to Emirates for investment and management decisions. In 1998, Air Lanka re-branded to SriLankan Airlines. SriLankan acquired 6 Airbus A330-200s to complement its fleet of Airbus A340-300 and A320-200 aircraft. The A330-200 aircraft joined the airline between October 1999 and July 2000. The company's fourth A340-300 arrived at Colombo painted in
4399-634: The airline's new corporate livery. SriLankan upgraded its existing A340 fleet into a two-class configuration (business and economy class) whilst overhauling the interior to reflect the new corporate image. The airline gradually increased its number of destinations with more additions for regional markets, notably India and the Middle East. Whilst continuing expansion in the region, SriLankan commenced flying to Jeddah , its third destination in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh and Dammam , thus increasing
4482-421: The airport to other cities such as Galle , Kadawatha , Matara , and Nugegoda . These coach services are usually operated by third parties and not the airport authorities. E03 Colombo – Katunayake Expressway is a high-speed road linking the airport to the city of Colombo with a travel time of around 20 minutes, and just a few minutes to the city of Negombo . The airport taxi service operates
4565-586: The airport. The Boeing 747-200B was operated by Condor carrying German tourists from Frankfurt . In the early 1990s the position of the airport's runway (04/22) was shifted northward and the old runway was made into a taxiway for departing and arriving aircraft. Airport expansion projects have recently been undertaken at the airport under the Stage 1, Phase II Expansion Project. A pier with eight aero-bridges opened in November 2005. A new terminal with an additional eight gates are proposed to be built under Stage II of
4648-681: The chronicle Mahāvaṃsa , written in Pali, Prince Vijaya of the Vanga Kingdom and his entourage merged in Sri Lanka with later settlers from the Pandya kingdom . In the following centuries, there was substantial immigration from Eastern India, including additional migration from the Vanga Kingdom (Bengal), as well as Kalinga and Magadha . This influx led to an admixture of features of Eastern Prakrits. The development of Sinhala
4731-579: The construction of the Bandaranaike International Airport, a major portion of the air base was taken over. However, the Sri Lanka Air Force remained and expanded its air base adjoining the International Airport. Currently it is the largest SLAF station in the country and several flying squadrons as well as ground units are based there. The Air Force Hospital is also based at SLAF Katunayake. In March 2001, on
4814-692: The end of 2016. On 2020, the Frankfurt and Paris routes were resumed. The airline absorbed the operations of sister carrier Mihin Lanka in October 2016, in a bid to create a single stronger national airline for Sri Lanka. Accordingly, SriLankan took over two of Mihin Lanka's aircraft and absorbed its route network, adding ten new destinations to SriLankan's route network. In October 2017, SriLankan launched direct daily non-stop flights to Melbourne , Australia, its first new long-haul route in over five years and
4897-475: The features that may be traced to Dravidian influence are: ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නවා dannavā know ඒක අලුත් කියලා මම දන්නවා ēka aḷut kiyalā mama dannavā it new having-said I know "I know that it is new." ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new ද da Q කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නේ SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines
4980-480: The financial year 2022–2023, SriLankan Airlines achieved a break-even for the first time in over a decade and posted a net profit of $ 3 million. SriLankan Airlines won the 2024 IFSA Best Inflight Food or Beverage Innovation Award at the APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) and IFSA (International Flight Services Association) Global Expo October 2023. The key trends of Sri Lankan Airlines (mainline) are as at
5063-460: The financial year ending 31 March: The company's head office is at Airline Centre, Bandaranaike International Airport , Katunayake . The initial livery consisted of red stripes on a white fuselage. The tail was solid red and sported the corporate logo, a stylised vimana locally known as "Dandu Monara" (Flying Peacock Aircraft) of King Ravana of ancient "Lanka", Ravana , as per the famous "Ramayana" mythology. The five "tail feathers" represent
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#17327975707805146-518: The following airlines: SriLankan Airlines have interline agreements with the following airlines: As of March 2024 , SriLankan Airlines operates an all- Airbus fleet composed of the following aircraft: The airline received its first Airbus aircraft in 1992; the Airbus A320-200 began flying to destinations in the Maldives , Pakistan , and southern India. The Airbus A340-300
5229-530: The four aircraft of Airbus A350-900 remained in the Airbus monthly order book and had yet to be cancelled or converted to A330-900 orders. In April 2021 SriLankan announced its plans to retire 6-7 aircraft from its fleet. To replace the retiring aircraft, SriLankan have planned A350 and A330neo aircraft. After government approvals, SriLankan requested proposals for a six-year dry lease for five narrow-body aircraft and wet lease wide-body aircraft in late 2023. As per
5312-567: The introduction of ride-sharing services has proven to be a better alternative compared to the traditional taxi services typically available at the airport. Uber and PickMe also have dedicated pick-up points at CMB, making it easier for travelers to get picked up by drivers and reduce delays in pick-up times. During the early 2000s and late 2010s, Airport and Aviation Services (AASL) chartered DMU units from Sri Lanka Railways, which were used to operate an Airport Express train from Colombo Fort Railway Station to Katunayake Railway Station . The train
5395-550: The island of Ceylon came under British rule . During the career of Christopher Reynolds as a Sinhalese lecturer at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London , he extensively researched the Sinhalese language and its pre-1815 literature. The Sri Lankan government awarded him the Sri Lanka Ranjana medal for his work. He wrote the 377-page An anthology of Sinhalese literature up to 1815 , selected by
5478-563: The main administrative element of the Southern Air Command of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The following are the formations based at SLAF Katunayake. Sinhala language Sinhala ( / ˈ s ɪ n h ə l ə , ˈ s ɪ ŋ ə l ə / SIN -hə-lə, SING -ə-lə ; Sinhala: සිංහල , siṁhala , [ˈsiŋɦələ] ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( / ˌ s ɪ n ( h ) ə ˈ l iː z , ˌ s ɪ ŋ ( ɡ ) ə ˈ l iː z / SIN -(h)ə- LEEZ , SING -(g)ə- LEEZ ),
5561-565: The maintenance of the two Air Lanka-owned Tristars, while Air Canada maintained two leased Tristars. On 28 March 1980, Air Lanka signed a purchase agreement for two brand new Lockheed L1011-500 Tristars , the most advanced wide-body aircraft in the world at that time. The first Lockheed L1011-500 (4R-ULA) was accepted on 26 August 1982, at Palmdale , California . It was flown to Amsterdam as UL flight 566P. On 28 August, 4R-ULA "City of Colombo" left for its inaugural flight from Amsterdam to Colombo as UL566. It reached Colombo on 29 August. This
5644-408: The most ambitious expansion to date. The flights restore a regular direct air link between Australia and Sri Lanka after a hiatus of sixteen years. This route has proved particularly popular and has been responsible with increased numbers of Australian tourists holidaying in Sri Lanka. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SriLankan performed cargo and operating relief flights. On 1 February 2020 it operated
5727-420: The national carrier, began international operations from it using a Hawker Siddeley Trident and a Vickers VC-10 leased from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). It was named after former Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike , in 1970. It was renamed Katunayake International Airport in 1977, but reverted to Bandaranaike International Airport in 1995. On 7 November 1971, the first Boeing 747 landed at
5810-404: The number of destinations in the Middle East to nine. Jeddah became the airline's 51st destination overall. In 2008, Emirates notified the Sri Lankan Government that it would not renew its management contract, which then expired on 31 March 2008. It claimed that the Sri Lankan Government was seeking greater control over the day-to-day management of the airline. Emirates sold its 43.63% stake in
5893-578: The other is Bandaranaike International Airport Tower at 118.7 MHz. Ground communication is at 121.9 MHz, while ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) is at 127.2 MHz. Colombo Director (BIA approach) - 132.4Mhz Bandaranaike International Airport Tower - 118.7Mhz Bandaranaike International Airport Ground - 121.9 MHz Bandaranaike International Airport ATIS - 127.2 MHz The airport underwent resurfacing of its runway , and to celebrate, Emirates launched an one-off A380 flight operated as EK654 from Dubai, replacing
5976-406: The partnership between the two airlines concluded on 31 March 2008. SriLankan subsequently launched FlySmiLes , which has since added a variety of new reward partners to its program. New membership tiers were added after the airline's enrollment to the one world alliance to accommodate Oneworld membership tiers, gaining better privileges for members when aboard all Oneworld airlines. There are
6059-579: The shares of the joint venture partner and thus Air Lanka Catering Services became the fully owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines Limited. Thereafter the Company changed its name to SriLankan Catering (Private) Limited in September 2000. SriLankan's first frequent-flyer programme was called Serendib Miles and was abandoned in early 2000. It then became a partner of Emirates' Skywards frequent-flyer program. However, this agreement ceased to exist when
6142-517: The subsequent years due to the Easter bombings, COVID-19, and the prevailing economic situation in the country. Despite this, substantial recovery was observed in 2022 and 2023. It is expected to recover to 2018 numbers by 2024 and 2025, respectively. From 2012 to 2023, there was fluctuating trends in cargo movements, with notable increases and decreases over the years. For instance, there were steady increases in cargo volume from 2012 to 2018, followed by
6225-455: The years, CMB experienced its highest amount of passenger traffic in 2018, with 5,389,082 departures and 5,409,587 arrivals, totaling an impressive 10,798,669 passengers. However, passenger numbers fluctuated. Due to the 2019 Easter bombings, passenger traffic began to slow down. During the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger traffic dwindled, reaching an all-time low of 1,231,939 departures and 792,002 arrivals in 2020, totaling 2,023,941 passengers, which
6308-624: Was announced as Oneworld 's latest member-elect, on the sidelines of the IATA World Air Transport Summit in Beijing. Cathay Pacific served as SriLankan Airlines' sponsor through its alliance implementation program. Membership implementation lasted approximately 18 months. SriLankan Airlines joined the airline alliance on 1 May 2014 as the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent. SriLankan Airlines codeshares with
6391-488: Was announced that SriLankan Airlines had won government approval to acquire four Airbus A350-900 and seven A330-300 aircraft, with deliveries of the A330-300 starting from October 2014. Deliveries for the ordered A350-900s are set to commence in 2019. A further three Airbus A350-900s were leased, with deliveries of these aircraft starting in 2017. SriLankan retired its last Airbus A340-300 on 7 January 2016, replaced by
6474-644: Was delivered in 1994. The airline was the first in Asia to use the A340. The Airbus A330-200 aircraft were delivered later. In 2012, SriLankan Airlines aimed to boost its fleet to 35 aircraft over the next five years and had talks with both Airbus and Boeing regarding a deal. SriLankan's former CEO Kapila Chandrasena stated that the carrier wanted to add either Airbus A330-300 , Boeing 787-8 or Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to its fleet to replace its Airbus A340-300s, with deliveries beginning in 2013–2014. In April 2013, it
6557-540: Was followed by the second Lockheed L1011-500 , 4R-ULB, "City of Jayawardanapura". On 8 June 1984 the airline received its first Boeing 747-200B "King Vijaya" and the second joined later. The aircraft were used on flights to Europe and a few flights to southeast Asia. However they were retired in 1987. In 1994, Air Lanka became the Asian Launch Customer of the Airbus A340-300 . Air Lanka, which
6640-546: Was initially projected for completion by 2025. However, due to current delays, there is a possibility of extended timelines, potentially leading to completion by late 2026 to 2027. Shown below is a summary of Phase II, and early 2027) From 2012 to 2023, there was a general trend of gradual increase in passenger traffic at CMB Airport. Both departures and arrivals showed steady growth over this period, with some occasional fluctuations. In 2012, there were 3,590,122 departures and 3,554,969 arrivals, totaling 7,145,091 passengers. Over
6723-569: Was re-branded and the current livery was introduced. In 2008, the government of Sri Lanka acquired all the shares of the airline from Emirates. After ending the Emirates partnership, it retained its re-branded name and logo. SriLankan Airlines operates over 560 flights per week across Asia. SriLankan Airlines joined Oneworld airline alliance on 1 May 2014. In 1979, after the removal of airline manager Nimesh Fernando, Sri Lanka's president Jayawardene initially did not interfere after entrusting
6806-408: Was significantly lower compared to other years. After the pandemic, passenger traffic at CMB has been recovering gradually, with a total increase of 267.5% compared to 2021. It was expected that CMB would recover to 10 million passengers annually in 2024. Beginning in 2012 with 46,616 scheduled and 2,118 non-scheduled flights, the numbers consistently increased until 2019, with fluctuations during
6889-523: Was state-owned, was partially privatized in 1998, with investment by Dubai -based Emirates Group , when Emirates and the Sri Lankan government signed an agreement for a ten-year strategic partnership. This agreement included exclusive rights for all aircraft ground handling and airline catering at Colombo-Bandaranaike airport for ten years. Emirates bought a 40% stake worth US$ 70 million (which it later increased to 43.6%) in Air Lanka and sought to refurbish
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