Lanka Airport And Aviation Blog: 2018

2018-10-02

Airport Authority in India (AAI) to Develop Palaly Airport

State-run Airport Authority in India now eyeing to develop Palaly Airport which is located in Jaffna peninsula. Very recent press report said that Airport and Aviation services in Sri Lanka are going to develop Palaly Airport and even transport minister also confirmed that Sri Lankan Government is not going to hand over palaly airport to India.

Source :- Times of India

2018-09-20

Sri Lanka Will Not Hande Over Palaly Airport to India -Minister

Palaly airport is a major strategic location when considering Indian political eye and Chinese involvement in Sri Lanka. Some Indian media reports say that India is eying to buy Sri Lanka's north cornered domestic airport.

But today Indian media reported that Transport minister has rejected said media reports. Further, it says " The Sri Lankan Government has made it clear that no decision has been made on handing over the domestic airport to India or any other country".

Sri Lankan Transport and Civil Aviation minister Nimal Sirpala spoke to sputniknews.com and said...

"There is no truth in that report. We have no intention to hand over the airport to India or any other country. However, it will be developed in partnership with the Tourism Development Fund and the Civil Aviation Authority. We develop these airports not to hand them over to any other country," Nimal Siripala De Silva told the Parliament on Tuesday when joint opposition leader Wimal Weerawansa asked whether the government was planning to hand over the Palaly airport to the Indian Civil Aviation Authority as reported in the Indian media.

Read full sputniknews.com Article here...

Meanwhile, some Sri Lankan gossip media have given wings to said Indian newspaper articles while making it one of the developing stories.

2018-09-15

SriLankan Catering posts Rs. 3.9 billion net profit

Aviation Voice reported that Sri Lankan Catering Ltd

has recorded performance for the financial year ended 31st March 2018 with 26% year on year growth in operating profits from Rs. 3.03 billion to Rs 3.81 billion.

Full Aviation Voice Article

2018-09-14

Design and Win Airport Operators Logo

Now you have a chance to design a logo for Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Pvt) LTD and win cash prices. AASL is fully owned government company which runs airport operations around the country including Katunayaka Airport (BIA), Mattala Raiapaksha International Airport (MRIA), Ratmala Airport (RMA) and Batticaloa Airport.

prizes are not clearly described in the article but it says they are offering a valuable cash prize for the winner.

Visit here for More details :- http://bit.ly/2xfCAxe

Plans to Develop Palali Airport as Batticaloa Airport by AASL

According to the Transport and Civil Aviation ministry spokesman, Sri Lankan Government is planning do develop Palali airport as a domestic airport.

This development projects estimated to cost over Rs 1600mn. As per the spokesman Airport and Aviation (Sri Lanka) LTD (AASL) providing funds for the project and they may remain as Palali airport operator.

Presently Sri Lanka Airforce is operating Palali Airport.

Sri Lankan Government Plans to Cut Airport Charges

According to the study done by the Sri Lankan government, They are now reviewing airport charges at all Sri Lanka international airports.

As per the study, Sri Lanka charges about 30 % to 40% of airfare as airport charges and it is very high when comparing to other countries. It is around 10% to 15% for most airports.

Further reports say that landing charges and Fueling chargers are also going to reduce. Ceyleon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has monopoly to supply fuel and there is no competition. CPC is which is fully owned by the Sri Lankan Government.

These actions are taken to increase tourist arrivals and make Sri Lanka a tourism hub by offering attractive prices.

But This blogger believes all Sri Lankan governments have not taken timely actions to expand Bandaranaike international airport and now it is overcrowded.

As per this blogger reducing chargers may effect Sri Lankan economy via Airport and Aviation Services LTD and CPC directly.

Overcrowded BIA cannot handle even another 1% increased in passenger arrivals and departures. Therefore the government should take actions to speed up expansion projects rather than reducing charges without a plan.

VAT Refunds for Tourists at Airport in Sri Lanka

As per the finance minister, Sri Lankan government has started new tax refund counter at Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake to make the island a competitive trading hub.

Whatever purchase made by tourists within Sri Lanka is technically export. Therefore tourist can reclaim 15% tax which charges around Sri Lanka.

Eighteen establishments those who have registered to the department of inland revenue make use of this facility.

Institution those who wish to make use of the facility can register at inland revenue department.

Counter is in operation from September 11, 2018.

2018-03-21

SriLankan Airlines pilots have concerns with management

The Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka has written to the President seeking his urgent attention to the “serious ongoing mismanagement” of the troubled national carrier.

While welcoming the president’s decision to appoint a commission of inquiry into the operation of the airline, the guild has revealed that three newly leased narrow body aircraft have been grounded due to the loss of a critical operational certification issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAV).

Read full Article .....

2018-02-27

SriLankan Airlines flight delays continue, travelers urged to check before leaving for airport

Feb 27, Colombo: Sri Lanka's national carrier, SriLankan Airlines issuing a statement said due to a combination of unforeseen events flight delays and congestion at the Colombo Airport are continuing and urged the passengers to check times before leaving for the airport.

The Full statement:

SriLankan Airlines regrets the continuing delays and congestion at Colombo Airport. Due to a combination of unforeseen events, including a bird strike which damaged an aircraft in Cochin, our valued customers have been subjected to great inconvenience and delayed flights.

We request all our passengers to check in for their flights online, to contact our 24 hour call center on 01-97331979 or their travel agent before going to the Bandaranaike International Airport.

Read Full Article

Airport and Aviation Services Will Hand over Mattala Airport Through SLAF to India

The SLAF comes amid moves to hand over the 800-hectare Mattala Airport to the Airport and Aviation Authority to be operated as a joint venture with India. Of this extent of land, three hectares will be given to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) for storing of jet fuel and the SLAF is seeking 90 hectares for national security purposes.

The senior official said the SLAF request would not affect the joint venture with India. “The security of the country has to be ensured and hence it is logical to hand over a section of the land to the SLAF,” he added. The official said the SLAF’s access to the runway would not affect civil airline operation as the strip to be allocated to the SLAF will be from another direction like in Katunayaka.

The proposed joint venture with India is valued at US$ 2.03 billion for 40 years, with the option to extend it. In terms of the deal, the Indian Aviation will have 70 percent stake of the airport company and Sri Lanka Aviation 30 percent.

Read Full Article

2018-02-23

Plan to develop Ratmalana Airport to provide efficient international flight services

The Sri Lankan government has drawn up a master plan to develop the Ratmalana Airport to provide efficient domestic and international flight services.

The Ratmalana Airport, being the first international airport in Sri Lanka was operating as the major international airport until the inauguration of Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake in 1969.

The airport is located about 15 km south of the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo with easy access to all the main roads. It presently operates around 70 domestic aircraft movements per day.

2018-02-15

Sri Lanka probes corruption at national airline

The government of Sri Lanka ordered an investigation on Sri Lankan Airline.

Sri Lanka has ordered a corruption investigation at its national carrier, including the controversial termination of a management deal with Emirates airline, the government said on Saturday.

President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a five-member panel to investigate the financial transactions of Sri Lankan airlines from 2006 to 2008, when the deal with Emirates was ended, a statement from his office said.

Sri Lankan, founded in 1979 as Air Lanka, was profitable until the government of president Mahinda Rajapakse, who ran the country from 2005 to 2015, kicked out the Emirates management team.

The deal was cancelled in 2008 after Emirates refused to bump fare-paying business class passengers to give the seats to Rajapakse's family, who were returning to Colombo from London.

Full Article

SriLankan Airlines to add five flights to India

It is not clear that what are the new destinations but mediaindia published this article.

After Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Coimbatore that commenced operations with four frequencies a week since 2017, SriLankan Airlines has identified new routes to cater to the growing demand from India.

Chinthaka Weerasinghe, Country Manager, Srilankan Airlines, states, “We are keen on increasing the destinations and flight frequencies in India as the demand is constantly on the rise. With the new development ventures, we anticipate significant passenger numbers from our key contributors to inbound tourism traffic- India, China, Europe, Australia and Maldives.”

As India is the biggest source market for Sri Lanka, the airline already has a wide footprint all over the country. “India continued to be the top source market with 384,628 arrivals (up 7.8 per cent) followed by China with 268,952 (down 1 per cent) and UK 201,879 (up 7.3 per cent). In 2017, tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka reached an all- time high of 2,116,407.” a release by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said.