SriLankan Airlines (UL, Colombo International) hopes to find a joint venture partner by the end of 2018 and subsequently resume flights to continental Europe, EconomyNext has reported.
"Before the end of the year, the cabinet is determined to go ahead with a joint venture with a world leading airline and get back to [continental] European destinations," Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said.
According to the ch-aviation capacity module, the Sri Lankan flag carrier's European network is currently limited to a 7x weekly service to London Heathrow. In terms of its long-haul flights, SriLankan also serves Melbourne Tullamarine, Beijing Capital, Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou, Hong Kong International, Tokyo Narita, Mahé, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, and destinations in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.
The airline does not currently have any joint ventures, although it is a member of Oneworld alliance.
Amaratunga also added that the government, which owns the airline, would also be looking at increasing its fleet. SriLankan currently operates twenty-eight aircraft, including five A320-200s, two A320neo, three A321-200s, four A321neo, seven A330-200s, and seven A330-300s. It formally still has four A350-900s on order with Airbus, although it signalled it would not be taking these aircraft.
