SriLankan Airlines (UL, Colombo International) will become a full member of Oneworld with effect from Thursday May 1, 2014; the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to become part of any global airline alliance. The alliance said the Sri Lankan national carrier's sponsor, Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International), in conjunction with the oneworld central team had successfully completed a thorough review of SriLankan Airlines' operations prior to its acceptance.

SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe said: “With the world airline industry increasingly focused on alliances, joining oneworld will be a significant development for SriLankan Airlines. Joining the alliance will help put SriLankan more firmly on the global aviation map and vastly improve Sri Lanka’s connections with the rest of the world, with all that means for our country’s vital tourism industry.”

Founded in 1947, SriLankan Airlines operates a fleet of 21 aircraft - including eight Airbus A320s, an A321-200, seven A330-200s and six A340-300s, with an average age of roughly eleven years - on a network that covers 32 destinations in 20 countries across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.