Sri Lanka's FitsAir adds first A320ceo

Sri Lanka's FitsAir to add Q400s for int'l pax ops in 1Q22

FitsAir (8D, Colombo Int'l) plans to expand into scheduled international passenger services in March 2022 with two dry-leased DHC-8-Q400s, according to Managing Director Omar Kayaam.

He told Smart Aviation Asia Pacific the company was currently negotiating with lessors for the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada turboprops on 24 to 36 month leases, starting with two and adding another two by September 2022.

This was confirmed to ch-aviation by Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Accountable Manager Asitha Ranaweera, who said the airline now plans to use Dash 8-400s for all its scheduled passenger flights. "We are switching the equipment from ATR72 to DHC Dash-8 for passenger operations. We are negotiating with lessors for the aircraft now," he said.

With its initial plans having been delayed by the pandemic, Kayaam said new impetus for international route expansion was driven by the recent opening for international flights of Colombo Ratmalana, formerly Colombo’s old domestic airport, and increasing demand for international travel.

Tourist routes planned included Malé in the Maldives and Chennai,...

Sri Lanka's Fly Lankan Asia eyes regional cargo, pax ops

Fly Lankan Asia (Colombo Int'l) is planning to target the short-haul cargo and passenger services niche and has already secured its first aircraft - from Kenya - ahead of a planned late 2021 debut, chief executive Arosha Fernando told The Sunday Observer newspaper.

In an interview, Fernando said Fly Lankan Asia would focus on a gap it sees in the short-haul cargo and passenger travel market in Sri Lanka.

"The gap in the availability of low-cost service in and out of the Sri Lankan hub coupled with the demand for cargo and passenger travel on selected routes from Sri Lanka indicates that a new entrant airline could be expected to capture a significant portion of current air travel business at that hub," he said.

"It is noteworthy to highlight the fact that the launch phase of the airline is primarily focused on cargo operations as we believe that the travel restrictions due to the pandemic would be persistent in the short to medium term. In this light, it would be prudent to focus...

Sri Lankan startups progress in AOC certification drive

Gov't clears SriLankan Airlines to add freighter aircraft

Sri Lanka's Cabinet has authorised flag carrier SriLankan Airlines (UL, Colombo Int'l) to lease a freighter of unspecified type to capitalise on the booming demand for cargo uplift.

During its meeting on March 15, 2021, the government acknowledged that SriLankan Airlines had focused primarily on the passenger market before the COVID-19 pandemic. It underlined, however, that as the market has changed dramatically over the last year, the airline would need to be reorganised to cater more to the cargo market.

The authorisation did not go into any detail regarding the aircraft type, timeline, or procedures. It only mandated the carrier to follow an "international competitive procurement methodology".

Chief Executive Vipula Gunatilleka told ch-aviation earlier this year that the carrier would target Airbus freighters but also did not provide any further details. SriLankan will launch a formal tender shortly, ch-aviation understands.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that SriLankan Airlines currently operates one A330-200 as a makeshift freighter but does not have any dedicated freighter aircraft. Its fleet comprises five A320-200s,...