SriLankan Airlines, which began operations in 1979, has re-invented itself in the recent past, winning numerous global awards and establishing a firm reputation as a leader among Asian airlines in service, comfort, reliability, and punctuality. As the National Carrier of Sri Lanka, SriLankan is proud to take to the air the qualities of warmth, caring and friendliness that are a distinct part of Sri Lanka’s culture.
Route Network
SriLankan is a network carrier, with rapid connections that link Europe and the Middle East on one side with Southeast Asia and the Far East on the other.
SriLankan now serves 44 destinations in 29 countries in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Far East.
Major destinations include London, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, and Dubai.
Colombo as a Hub
SriLankan’s main global hub is Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), with rapid connections throughout the network. BIA has earned a reputation as the finest airport in South Asia. It has a new terminal with aerobridges, comfortable lounges, and a duty free shopping complex that is second to none in the region
Codeshares
SriLankan has codeshare services with bmi (formerly British Midland), Etihad Airways and Malaysian Airlines.
| Shareholding |
| Government of Sri Lanka |
51.05% |
| Emirates Airline |
43.63% |
| Employees |
5.32% |
Board of Directors
Mr Nishantha Wickramasinghe, Chairman
Mr Sunil G Wijesinha, Director
Mr Nihal Jayamanne PC, Director
Mr Sanath Ukwatte, Director
Mr Kapila Chandrasena, Director
Mr Shameendra Rajapaksa,
Director
| Management |
| |
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| Chief Executive Officer |
Manoj Gunawardena |
Subsidiary
SriLankan Catering (Pvt) Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines. It provides on-board catering services for airlines that operate through Colombo. It presently produces more than 13,000 meals per day from its sophisticated new Flight Kitchen at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo.
Workforce
SriLankan has a workforce of more than 5,000 persons in Sri Lanka and overseas, including its subsidiary SriLankan Catering. The airline has comprehensive training programmes in all aviation related fields, in order to cater to its own expansion and the constant need to replace staff who are in high demand by other airlines.
Inflight Comforts
The SriLankan fleet contains Airbus A340, A330 and A320 aircraft. Seating is in a 2-class system of Business and Economy classes. All seats are equipped with the latest in-flight entertainment with 18-channel seat-back television, 22-channel audio and 16 video games in all seats, with Business Class having a choice of videos as well.
Awards
SriLankan has consistently achieved very high marks for excellence, especially in polls of global travellers. The awards include:
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World’s Best Airline in a survey of Economy Class passengers
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World’s Friendliest Cabin Staff - Skytrax
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World’s Most Reliable Operator of Airbus A330s (small fleet) - Airbus Industrie.
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World’s Most Reliable Operator of Airbus A340s (small fleet) - Airbus Industrie.
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First Runner-up for World’s Best Cabin Staff – Skytrax
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Best Airline in South Asia (3 consecutive times) from Travel Trade Gazette
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Best Airline in Central Asia (4 consecutive times) - Skytrax
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Best Overall Inflight Entertainment (small fleet), twice – World Airline Entertainment Association
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Best Airline Turnaround of the Year 2004 – Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation
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Galileo Indian Express Award for Best Eastbound International Airline
FlySmiLes
FlySmiLes is the frequent flyer programme of SriLankan. Membership is in three tiers – Gold, Silver and Blue - with points being awarded for each mile travelled, which can be redeemed for upgrades on flights or a wide array of products and services.
SriLankan Cargo
SriLankan Cargo has been expanding its services rapidly, using Colombo as a “Hub in the Ocean” to link the fast-growing economies of South Asia with Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Far East. SriLankan Cargo links industrial centres in the Subcontinent region through scheduled services to many Indian cities and the Maldives.
SriLankan Engineering
SriLankan Engineering, the technical arm of SriLankan Airlines, provides aircraft maintenance facilities to other airlines as well as SriLankan’s own fleet. SriLankan Engineering holds EASA 145 accreditation from the European Aviation Safety Agency, and has vast expertise with Airbus aircraft.
Its training wing, SriLankan Technical Training, is one of the few institutions in Asia to hold the EASA 147 certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency for training in aircraft maintenance.
Ground Services
SriLankan Airlines provides ground services for all airlines that operate through Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka, and has gained a reputation with customer airlines for excellence in friendly and efficient service. The airline operates a modern sophisticated Business Class Lounge there.
SriLankan Holidays
The airline is in partnership with selected tour operators in many countries to provide tailor-made holiday packages for tourists.
MICE Tourism
Sri Lanka is a popular destination for business events in the South Asian region. The airline has a separate department for MICE Tourism (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) that works with local partners to arrange many types of events for business
International Aviation Academy
The IAA is SriLankan’s training wing, and serves the manpower requirements of not just SriLankan but airlines, airports, travel agents, and other aviation industry organizations throughout Asia.
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