SriLankan Airlines Limited (previously known as Air Lanka) is the flag carrier airline of Sri Lanka. It operates a fleet of 13 Airbus aircraft to destinations in Asia and Europe from its main base and hub at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport. The airline's trademark phrase is 'You're Our World', and the company's logo features a stylized peacock. SriLankan is not part of an airline alliance. It had a partnership with Emirates Airline (which still maintains a 43.63% stake in SriLankan),[3] which expired on 31 March 2008.[4] Air Lanka was set up by the Government of Sri Lanka in July 1979 following the closure of Air Ceylon in 1978. Initially, the new air carrier operated two Boeing 707 jets on lease from Singapore Airlines. During the 1980s, the airline increased the number of destinations served and made additions to its fleet. By 1990, Air Lanka served 26 destinations. In December 1992, the airline purchased its first Airbus A320. Air Lanka, which was state owned, was part-privatized to the Dubai based Emirates Group in 1998 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 brand was abandoned and SriLankan Airlines was born.[citation needed] In the early 1990s the airline had its headquarters in Colombo.[5] SriLankan acquired six Airbus A330-200s to complement its fleet of Airbus A340-300 and A320-200 aircraft. The A330-200 units joined the airline between October 1999 and July 2000. The companys fourth A340-300 arrived at Colombo painted in the airlines new corporate livery. SriLankan also 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 both environmental problems and acts of terrorism. This has included the SARS outbreak, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the Civil War within Sri Lanka and a terrorist attack on Colombo-Bandaranaike airport, which destroyed four aircraft and damaged two, writing off half of the airline's fleet. SriLankan subsequently took the decision to recreate Colombo as a new hub for flights to Asia. An example of this is the expansion into regional markets, notably in India. It is now the largest foreign air carrier into India with 100 flights a week to 11 destinations. Whilst continuing expansion in the region, SriLankan also serves Jeddah, its third destination in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh and Dammam. Jeddah was the airline's 51st destination in 28 countries, thus increasing to nine the number of its destinations in the Middle East. As part of its expansion strategy, it has also developed non-stop flights from the Maldives (Malé) to London, Paris and Tokyo. In 2008, the Government of Sri Lanka notified Emirates Airlines that it will not renew the management contract[6] which then expired on March 31, 2008. The flight attendant's uniform has remained unchanged since the days of Air Lanka. The stewardesses' uniform is a Kandyan-style sari in green with a peacock feather print, while the stewards' uniform is a red/maroon jacket, white shirt and black trousers. Srilankan Airlines Awards: * Worlds Best Airline in a survey of Economy Class passengers * Worlds Friendliest Cabin Staff - Skytrax * Worlds Most Reliable Operator of Airbus A330s (small fleet) - Airbus Industrie * Worlds Most Reliable Operator of Airbus A340s (small fleet) - Airbus Industrie * First Runner-up for Worlds Best Cabin Staff Skytrax * 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 * Galileo Indian Express Award for Best Eastbound International Airline

• published: 20 Dec 2008
• views: 118436