SriLankan Airlines is planning an expansion of its fledgling domestic operation with additional aircraft, while also negotiating the lease of more narrowbody and widebody jet aircraft for international services, writes Nicholas Ionides.
Chief executive Peter Hill says the domestic operation, SriLankan Air Taxi, is likely to see its fleet grow to three Cessna 208 Caravan amphibians later this year.
The domestic fleet includes just one of the eight-passenger, turboprop aircraft, serving six inland waterways and aerodromes from Colombo. The aircraft has been operated for SriLankan since December by Turkish charter operator Bon Air, although services were suspended earlier this year due to security fears. Road infrastructure is poor in Sri Lanka and Hill says demand has been steady since resumption of services.
The two additional aircraft would be owned and operated by SriLankan, says Hill, and they are likely to be introduced by October. Domestic services, which currently run on a chartered basis, should be upgraded to scheduled operations in the coming years, says Hill. "There is nowhere in Sri Lanka that we conceivably wouldn't want to fly to if there is sufficient demand," he adds.
Hill says larger aircraft, such as the 14-seat de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Turbo Otter and larger DHC-6 Twin Otter, could be added as early as next year.
Domestic flying, a relatively new concept for Sri Lanka, is expected to develop in the wake of the 2002 ceasefire in the nation's 20-year civil war. Hill says international demand is growing steadily, prompting SriLankan to look at boosting its fleet of Airbus narrowbodies and widebodies, with talks already held with suppliers for the lease of two further A320s and one more A340-300.
Source: Flight International
