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SriLankan Airlines (Sinhala:ශ්‍රී ලංකා ගුවන් සේවය, Tamil: ஸ்ரீலங்கன் ஏர்லைன்ஸ்) (formerly known as Air Lanka) is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka. The airline's hubs are located at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Hambantota providing convenient connections to its global route network of 65 destinations in 35 countries in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Far East, North America, Australia and Africa.

History
Air Lanka's initial fleet consisted of two Boeing 707, leased from Singapore Airlines. One Boeing 737 was leased from Maersk Air and maintained by Air Tara. On 24 April 1980, the lease ended; Air Lanka received a replacement Boeing 737 leased from Royal Brunei. On 1 November 1980, Air Lanka commenced wide-body operations with a leased Lockheed L1011-1 Tristar from Air Canada. On 15 April 1982, Air Lanka received its own L1011 purchased from All Nippon Airways. With introduction of Tristar aircraft, the Boeing 707s were phased out and sold. Then another L1011 was leased from Air Canada and another L1011 was purchased from All Nippon. On 1 May 1982, HAECO took over the maintenance of the two Air Lanka-owned Tristars, while Air Canada maintained two leased Tristars.

On 28 March 1980, Air Lanka signed a purchase agreement for two brand new Lockheed L1011-500 Tristars, the most advanced wide-body aircraft in the world at that time. The first 500 was accepted on 26 August 1982, at Palmdale, California. It was flown to Amsterdam as UL flight 566P. On 28 August 4R-ULA "City Of Colombo' left for its inaugural flight from Amsterdam to Colombo as UL566. It reached Colombo on 29 August. This was followed by second -500 4R-ULB, "City Of Jayawardanapura".

On June 8, 1985 the airline received its first Boeing 747-200B "King Vijaya" and the second joined later. The aircraft were used on flights to Europe and a few flights to southeast Asia.

Air Lanka, which was state-owned, was partially privatized in 1998, with investment by Dubai-based Emirates Group, when Emirates and the Sri Lankan government signed an agreement for a ten-year strategic partnership. This agreement included exclusive rights for all aircraft ground handling and airline catering at Colombo-Bandaranaike airport for a ten-year period. Emirates bought a 40% stake worth US$70 million (which it later increased to 43.6%) in Air Lanka, and sought to refurbish the airline's image and fleet. The government retained a majority stake in the airline, but gave full control to Emirates for investment and management decisions. In 1998, the Air Lanka rebranded to SriLankan Airlines.

SriLankan acquired 6 Airbus A330-200s to complement its fleet of Airbus A340-300 and A320-200 aircraft. The A330-200 aircraft joined the airline between October 1999 and July 2000. The company’s fourth A340-300 arrived at Colombo painted in the airline’s new corporate livery. Sri Lankan upgraded its existing A340 fleet into a two-class configuration (business and economy class) whilst overhauling the interior to reflect the new corporate image.

SriLankan Airlines has been affected by environmental problems and acts of terrorism. This has included the SARS outbreak, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the Sri Lankan Civil War, and a Bandaranaike Airport attack, which destroyed 4 aircraft and damaged 2, writing off half of the airline's fleet. SriLankan took the decision to position Colombo as a hub for flights to Asia. This is evident in its expansion into regional markets, notably India and the Middle East.

Whilst continuing expansion in the region, SriLankan commenced flying to Jeddah, its third destination in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh and Dammam. Jeddah was the airline's 51st destination in 28 countries, thus increasing the number of destinations in the Middle East to nine.

In 2008 Emirates notified the Sri Lankan Government that it would not renew its management contract, which then expired on 31 March 2008. It claimed that the Sri Lankan Government was seeking greater control over the day-to-day business of the airline, "which was not acceptable to us".

The flight attendant uniform remained unchanged from the days of Air Lanka until February 2010, when a new uniform was introduced. The first destination of the expansion plan was Shanghai, China; the route was initiated on 1 July 2010. The airline commenced flights to Guangzhou, China on 28 January 2011. The airline also plans to start flying to Seoul, Sydney and Johannesburg in 2013. Also Copenhagen, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila is on the table.

Emirates sold its 43.63% stake in the airline to the Government of Sri Lanka in a deal that was finalised in 2010, thus ending any affiliations the two airlines had with each other.

SriLankan Airlines is a holder of the Imperial Mark, which is valid until May 2014.

The airline is set to join the Oneworld alliance in early 2014.

Destinations
As of July 2013, SriLankan Airlines serves 64 destinations in 34 countries, and remains the largest foreign carrier into the Maldives, with at least 38 weekly flights between Male and Colombo. The airline is also considering Gan as a destination. As of September 2012, the airline no longer runs its service to Switzerland. However, there are plans to resurrect the Sydney to Colombo service which was terminated over 10 years ago.


 * January 21, 2014 SriLankan airlines to fly Sydney next January. the airline will use Airbus A350-900s and A330-300s new aircraft which they hope to take delivery this year to re-launch this service

Hubs

 * Bandaranaike International Airport is the biggest hub and serves all of the airline's destinations. It is also the hub for Mihin Lanka, Lankan Cargo, Expo Air and Cinnamon Air.
 * Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport is a stop for Bangkok, Beijing, Male, Riyadh and Shanghai flights.

Focus cities

 * Kelani River-Peliyagoda Waterdrome is SriLankan AirTaxi's hub in Colombo and serves 15 destinations in Sri Lanka.
 * Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok)

Codeshare agreements
Sri Lankan has codeshare agreements with the following airlines (as of December 2013):

SriLankan also codeshare with French Railways SNCF.

Airbus Era
The airline received its first Airbus aircraft in 1992, the Airbus A320-200 (reg:4R-ABA) began flying to the airline's regional routes in Maldives, Pakistan and southern India. The Airbus A340-300 aircraft were ordered during the time of President Premadasa, the first A340 was delivered in 1994. The airline was the first in Asia to use the A340, the aircraft are used in high density flights to Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe. The Airbus A330-200 aircraft were delivered during the rule of President Chandrika, the aircraft are used in flights to Europe and Southeast Asia.

Fleet Development Plans
Sri Lankan Airlines aims to boost its fleet to 30 aircraft over the next four years, and is currently in talks with both Airbus and Boeing regarding a deal that may consist of up to nine long-haul aircraft. It has also leased four additional Airbus A320 aircraft. Sri Lankan's CEO Kapila Chandrasena stated that the carrier wants to add either Airbus A330-300 or Boeing 777 aircraft to its fleet to replace its Airbus A340-300s, with deliveries beginning in 2013–2014. Selected aircraft have also been refurbished to incorporate flat bed seating in business class and an enhanced Inflight Entertainment system.

In April 2013, it was announced that SriLankan Airlines had won government approval to acquire four Airbus A350-900 and six A330-300 aircraft, with deliveries starting from October 2014. A further three Airbus A350-900s will be leased, with deliveries of these aircraft starting in 2017.

Launch of Flight Simulator Training
Furthermore SriLankan Airlines now provide Airbus A320/A330 fleet training through it's newly commissioned Flight Simulator Centre, catering flight simulator training for pilots of both SriLankan and Mihin Lanka, as well as pilots in the region. SriLankan Airlines Flight Simulator Centre has the most advanced and extensive fleet of full motion flight simulators in the region. The simulators have state of the art visual fidelity, motion and sound. This allows crew to be trained in all aspects of normal and non-normal operations; including instrument approaches and landings in all weather conditions. The flight simulators at SriLankan are qualified by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAA-SL).

Current fleet
As of February 2013, the SriLankan Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 9.3 years:

Cargo
SriLankan Airlines operates several cargo flights to Male, the Middle East, and India, using a Douglas DC-8-63F of FitsAir and a Boeing 727-200F of Lankan Cargo.

SriLankan AirTaxi
SriLankan Airlines began domestic air taxi service using two Canadian-built DHC-6-100 aircraft to increase tourism in the southern and central cities of Sri Lanka. It currently flies to Ampara, Bentota, Castlereagh, Dandugama, Dikwella, Hambantota, Kandy, Koggala, Nuwara Eliya, Tissamaharama, and Trincomalee, all from Colombo. With the increasing number of passengers, more aircraft are expected to join the fleet for the air taxi service.

Livery
The initial livery consisted of red stripes on a white fuselage, the tail being a solid red and sporting the corporate logo, a stylised peacock. This was the sole livery of the airline for nearly two decades, from 1979 to 1998. After SriLankan Airlines began a decade-long partnership with Emirates, the livery was changed into a much simpler one, with an all-white fuselage, covered by blue 'Sri Lankan' titles, and the tail adorned with the corporate logo. Some aircraft have tourism advertisements on the rear part.

First Class
The First Class seats will be installed in the upcoming Airbus A330-300 and Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

Business Class
The Business Class seats come in either cream or dark blue depending on the aircraft. Business Class customers have over 30 movie titles in a variety of languages available and can pre-order special meals. From 2011, full flatbed seats will be offered in Business Class, on selected Airbus A330 aircraft.

Economy Class
The Economy seats are light blue in color. SriLankan provides an individual video player with 18 movies and 22 radio channels for Economy Class. Both classes are given the option of a "Satcom" satellite phone. Satcom allows a passenger to call anyone in another seat free of charge. SriLankan is capable of preparing meals for those with dietary restrictions. On some flights, like Singapore to Colombo, SriLankan prepares hot meals (such as chicken and rice or seafood with vegetables) for Economy Class, as the flight is long.

Entertainment
New movies from Hollywood, old classics, and some films from India are available. Included are comedies, dramas, arts, sports, and children's TV.

CTV is SriLankan's channel for children with programmes such as comedies and cartoons. SriLankan has 22 radio channels to provide music from around the world. SriLankan's radio channels cover the European charts, Golden Era, classical, jazz, and popular music selections from Sri Lanka, Arabia, India, and Japan. New games have been added, including puzzles, playing cards, and classic board games. In 2011, SriLankan will install AVOD systems, provided by IMS of the United States, on selected Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft.

Sri Lankan Catering
Sri Lankan Catering, although a 100%-owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines, is a standalone operation responsible for its own economic infrastructure, management and profitability. Under the guidance of its chief executive officer, the company’s prime responsibility is the preparation of in-flight meals for SriLankan Airlines. It also caters for foreign airlines, among which are Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Emirates. Sri Lankan Catering recently opened a laundry facility and took over the management of the Serenediva Transit Hotel, at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport.

Frequent Flyer Programme
SriLankan's first frequent-flyer programme was called Serendib Miles and was abandoned in early 2000. It then became a partner of Emirates' Skywards frequent-flyer program. However, this agreement ceased to exist when the partnership between the two airlines concluded on 31 March 2008. SriLankan subsequently launched FlySmiLes, which has since added a variety of new reward partners to its program.

Awards and achievements

 * Airline of the Year 2008 and 2009 – Sri Lanka Presidential Travel & Tourism Awards
 * Airline of the Year 2010 (third year)
 * Best Airline in South Asia (three consecutive times) from Travel Trade Gazette
 * Best Airline in Central Asia (four consecutive times) – Skytrax
 * Best Overall In-flight Entertainment (small fleet), twice – World Airline Entertainment Association
 * Best Airline Turnaround of the Year 2004 – Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation
 * Best Print Media Presentation in Travel & Tourism
 * Best in Region APEX Award
 * Destination Loyal Partner / Tour Operator Award for Sri Lankan Holidays
 * First Runner-up for World’s Best Cabin Staff – Skytrax
 * Foreign Carrier of the Year (South Asia sector) – Kuala Lumpur International Airport Awards
 * Galileo Indian Express Award for Best Eastbound International Airline
 * Hall of Fame award for winning Airline of the year for three consecutive years
 * Imperial Mark in recognition of exceptional levels of service, luxury and quality
 * KLIA Award
 * PATA Gold Award 2007 for Best Airline Marketing Campaign
 * Runner-up for Best Asian Airline in survey by UK's Daily Telegraph
 * HRM Silver award in the Government-Owned Business 2012
 * World’s Best Airline in a survey of Economy Class passengers
 * World’s Friendliest Cabin Staff – Skytrax
 * World’s Most Reliable Operator of Airbus A330s (small fleet) – Airbus Industrie
 * World’s Most Reliable Operator of Airbus A340s (small fleet) – Airbus Industrie
 * World class standard for SriLankan Airlines' IT systems

Incidents and accidents
Five of the six aircraft that have been destroyed and all of the reported deaths of SriLankan Airlines passengers and employees have been a result of the civil conflict in Sri Lanka.

1980s

 * On 3 May 1986, a bomb planted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam exploded on board Flight UL512 prior to takeoff at Bandaranaike International Airport. The bomb, which had been timed to explode in-flight, went off while the aircraft, a Lockheed L-1011 'Tristar', was on the ground killing 14 of 128 passengers. Officials believe the bomb may have been concealed in crates of meat and vegetables that were being freighted to the Maldives. Other reports believe that the bomb was hidden in the aircraft's 'Fly Away Kit'.

1990s
In 1992, the right landing gear of an Air Lanka Boeing 737-200 (registration 4R-ULL) at Madras airport (now Chennai International Airport) failed upon landing and the right engine came into contact with the runway. The aircraft pulled to the right and finally came to stop with the nose wheel and right wing on the grass to the right of the landing runway. The right engine caught fire - extinguished by the airport safety services - and the 104 passengers and 12 crew evacuated the aircraft via the chutes on the left side without injury. The damage to the aircraft was substantial; the plane was subsequently repaired and sold on. The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation concluded that "the accident occurred as a result of failure of the right hand main landing gear beam during the landing due to pre-existing stress corrosion cracks and pits at its inboard lug hole and higher than normal landing loads contributed to its failure".

2000s
On 24 July 2001, Tamil Tiger terrorists launched a major pre-dawn suicide attack on Colombo-Bandaranayake International Airport. The raid left at least 19 people dead, including 14 terrorists, two army commandos and three air force personnel. Two of Sri Lankan Airlines' Airbus A330 planes (4R-ALE and 4R-ALF), one A320 (4R-ABA) and one of their A340 planes (4R-ADD) were destroyed. Two other planes were damaged (A340 4R-ADC and A320 4R-ABB). A number of military planes were also damaged and destroyed.

Subsidiaries

 * SriLankan Cargo
 * SriLankan Catering
 * SriLankan Engineering
 * SriLankan Ground Handling
 * SriLankan Holidays
 * SriLankan IT Systems