Six of SriLankan Airlines' aircraft were damaged or destroyed during the battle between Tamil and government forces at Colombo Airport. Two Airbus A330s and an A340 were destroyed and other aircraft were saved from total write-off due to a SriLankan pilot's efforts to move the aircraft away from the fighting.
Both SriLankan's Airbus A320s, plus an A340-300, were hit by small arms fire during efforts to move the aircraft. One A320 may not return to service. "There are about 140 entry and exit bullet holes [to the A320], plus damage to the undercarriage. It will probably be declared a constructive write-off. It would take at least eight months to repair," says SriLankan chief executive Peter Hill. The other A320 will take three months to fix and the A340 should fly by September.
SriLankan captain Pujitha Jayakody moved one A340-300 from the line of fire. Protected by fire by Kfir fighter pilot Sqn Ldr Uditha Danwatte, Jayakody deployed the thrust-reversers, backing the aircraft away from the terminal building, then taxied along the parallel taxiway. After moving the A340, Jayakody and Danwatte returned twice to the terminal with troops to tow the A320s away with a truck.
Source: Flight International
