SriLankan Airlines facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
SriLankan Airlines
ශ්‍රී ලංකන් ගුවන් සේවය
இலங்கை விமான சேவை

A SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-300
Founded	10 December 1979; 45 years ago (1979-12-10) (as Air Lanka)
Hubs	Bandaranaike International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	FlySmiLes
Alliance	Oneworld
Subsidiaries	SriLankan Catering SriLankan Ground Handling SriLankan Engineering
Fleet size	23
Destinations	37
Parent company	Government of Sri Lanka
Headquarters	Airline Centre Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Sri Lanka
Key people	Sarath Ganegoda (Chairman) Richard Nuttall (CEO)
Revenue	Rs 365.171 billion (2023)
Operating income	Rs 40.743 billion (2023)
Profit	Rs 34.618 billion (2023)
Total assets	Rs 199.45 billion (2023)
Total equity	Rs 509.174 billion (2023)
Employees	7,440 (2023)

SriLankan Airlines is the main airline of Sri Lanka. It is also a member of the Oneworld group of airlines. The airline started in 1979 as Air Lanka. This happened after the previous national airline, Air Ceylon, stopped flying. Today, SriLankan Airlines is the biggest airline in Sri Lanka. It has the most planes and flies to the most places. Its main base is at Bandaranaike International Airport.

In 1998, a company called Emirates bought some shares in Air Lanka. The airline then changed its name to SriLankan Airlines. It also got a new look for its planes. In 2008, the government of Sri Lanka bought back all the shares from Emirates. Even after this, the airline kept its new name and logo. SriLankan Airlines flies over 560 times a week across Asia.

SriLankan Airlines joined the Oneworld airline alliance on May 1, 2014. This means it works with other airlines in the alliance.

History of SriLankan Airlines

How Air Lanka Started

An Air Lanka Lockheed L-1011 TriStar at Zurich Airport in 1998

Air Lanka was created in 1979. It became the national airline of Sri Lanka. This happened after the government closed down the old airline, Air Ceylon, which was having money problems.

At first, Air Lanka used two Boeing 707 planes. These were rented from Singapore Airlines. They also rented a Boeing 737 from Maersk Air. Later, they got another Boeing 737 from Royal Brunei. In November 1980, Air Lanka started using larger planes called Lockheed L1011-1 Tristar aircraft. These were rented from Air Canada.

In 1982, Air Lanka bought some L1011 Tristar planes. They also rented more. As they got more Tristar planes, the Boeing 707s were no longer used.

Air Lanka bought two new, very advanced Lockheed L1011-500 Tristars in 1980. The first one arrived in August 1982. It was named "City of Colombo." The second one was named "City of Jayawardanapura." In 1984, the airline also got its first Boeing 747-200B called "King Vijaya." These large planes were used for flights to Europe and parts of Asia. However, they were taken out of service in 1987. In 1994, Air Lanka was the first airline in Asia to use the Airbus A340-300.

Becoming SriLankan Airlines

A now-retired SriLankan Airlines A340-300

In 1998, Air Lanka, which was owned by the government, partnered with Dubai-based Emirates Group. Emirates bought a 40% share in Air Lanka. This deal gave Emirates control over how the airline was managed. They wanted to improve the airline's image and its fleet of planes. In 1998, Air Lanka changed its name to SriLankan Airlines.

SriLankan Airlines bought six Airbus A330-200 planes. These joined their existing Airbus A340-300 and A320-200 aircraft. The airline also updated the inside of its existing A340 planes. They added new business and economy class sections.

The airline started flying to more places. They added many new flights to India and the Middle East. For example, Jeddah became their 51st destination.

In 2008, Emirates decided not to continue its management agreement with the Sri Lankan Government. Emirates then sold its shares back to the Government of Sri Lanka in 2010. This ended their partnership.

SriLankan Airlines Today

4R-ALQ SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-343 departing via Runway 18 at Frankfurt Airport in 2016

After Emirates left in 2008, the Sri Lankan government took over running the airline. SriLankan Airlines then started to promote Colombo as a major hub for flights to Asia. They began new flights to Shanghai in 2010 and Guangzhou in 2011.

A SriLankan Airlines Airbus A320-214 in the Oneworld livery

SriLankan Airlines joined the Oneworld alliance on May 1, 2014. Around this time, they also started to update their fleet. They bought new Airbus A330 and A350 planes. Today, SriLankan Airlines uses only Airbus planes. They stopped using their last Airbus A340-300 in January 2016.

The airline stopped flying to some European cities like Frankfurt, Paris, and Rome by the end of 2016. However, the Frankfurt and Paris routes were started again in 2020.

A DHC-6 Twin Otter floatplane used as part of SriLankan's Air-Taxi service

In October 2016, SriLankan Airlines took over the flights of its sister airline, Mihin Lanka. This helped create one stronger national airline. SriLankan added ten new places to its flight map.

In October 2017, SriLankan started direct flights to Melbourne, Australia. This was their first new long-distance route in over five years. These flights brought back a direct air link between Australia and Sri Lanka after 16 years. This route has become very popular. It has helped more Australian tourists visit Sri Lanka.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, SriLankan Airlines helped by flying cargo and relief flights. For example, on February 1, 2020, they flew a relief flight from Wuhan, China.

In 2022, Sri Lanka faced an economic crisis. This caused a fuel shortage. Because of this, SriLankan's long-distance flights had to make stops in India to refuel.

For the financial year 2022–2023, SriLankan Airlines made a small profit for the first time in over ten years. They earned a net profit of $3 million. In October 2023, SriLankan Airlines won an award for the best inflight food or drink.

Airline Operations

Headquarters

The main office for SriLankan Airlines is at the Airline Centre. This is located at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka.

Plane Designs (Livery)

The Air Lanka logo (1979–1998)

The first design for Air Lanka planes had red stripes on a white body. The tail was solid red. It had a special logo of a flying peacock, known as "Dandu Monara." This peacock is from an old Sri Lankan story. The five feathers on the tail stand for the "Five Precepts" of Buddhism. The three crown feathers stand for the "Triple Gem" of Buddhism. The red color shows the main color of the Sri Lankan flag. This design was used from 1979 to 1998.

When Air Lanka partnered with Emirates, the name changed to SriLankan Airlines. The plane design also changed. It became simpler, with an all-white body. It had blue "SriLankan" words on the side. The tail had the new company logo.

In May 2014, some planes got a special oneworld design. This was to celebrate the airline joining the Oneworld alliance. New planes also have a blue underside. This promotes Sri Lanka as a place for tourists.

Other Businesses (Subsidiaries)

SriLankan Catering is a company fully owned by SriLankan Airlines. It provides food services for all airlines at Bandaranaike International Airport.

The airline also has other businesses. These include maintaining and repairing aircraft. They also offer ground handling services, holiday packages, aviation training, and IT services.

Where SriLankan Airlines Flies

As of March 2025, SriLankan Airlines flies to 37 places in 21 countries. If you include flights shared with other airlines, they serve 114 places in 62 countries. Being part of the Oneworld alliance helps them connect passengers to over 1,000 cities in 160 countries.

SriLankan Airlines currently flies to 14 places in India. This is more than any other foreign airline. It is also the largest foreign airline in the Maldives. It serves two cities there.

Airline Partnerships

On June 11, 2012, SriLankan Airlines announced it would join the Oneworld alliance. Cathay Pacific helped SriLankan Airlines prepare for this. SriLankan Airlines officially joined Oneworld on May 1, 2014. It was the first airline from the Indian subcontinent to join.

Shared Flights (Codeshare Agreements)

SriLankan Airlines shares flights with these airlines:

Connecting Flights (Interline Agreements)

SriLankan Airlines has agreements with these airlines to help passengers connect flights:

SriLankan Airlines Fleet

Current Aircraft

As of June 2025, SriLankan Airlines uses only Airbus planes. Here are the types of aircraft they have:

Developing the Fleet

SriLankan Airlines got its first Airbus plane in 1992. This Airbus A320-200 flew to places in the Maldives, Pakistan, and southern India. The Airbus A340-300 arrived in 1994. SriLankan was the first airline in Asia to use the A340. Later, Airbus A330-200 planes were added.

In 2013, SriLankan Airlines got approval to buy four Airbus A350-900 and seven A330-300 planes. The A330-300 planes started arriving in October 2014. The A350-900s were planned to arrive starting in 2019.

SriLankan stopped using its last Airbus A340-300 on January 7, 2016. These were replaced by the A330-300 and future A350-900 planes.

In May 2016, the airline announced it would cancel its order for eight A350 aircraft due to financial reasons. However, the order for four Airbus A350-900 aircraft is still listed with Airbus. In April 2021, SriLankan planned to remove 6-7 aircraft from its fleet. They planned to replace them with A350 and A330neo aircraft. In late 2023, SriLankan requested to rent five smaller planes and some larger planes. They received one A320 plane on December 21, 2023.

Naming Aircraft

4R-ABM, an A320-214 named after the City of Anuradhapura

The airline names some of its planes after important towns and cities in Sri Lanka. For example, planes are named after Anuradhapura, Yalpanam, Yapahuwa, and Sri Jayawardenapura.

Past Aircraft

An Air Lanka Boeing 747-200 (4R-ULF)

An Air Lanka Boeing 737-200 (4R-ULH)

An Air Lanka Lockheed L-1011 TriStar (4R-ALF)

An Air Lanka Boeing 707-320 (4R-ALA)

A SriLankan Airlines Airbus A340-300 (4R-ADB)

SriLankan Airlines used to operate these aircraft:

Services on Board

Cabin Classes

A330-200 Business Class cabin

Flagship A330-300 Business Class cabin

SriLankan Airlines offers two types of service: Business Class and Economy Class. In Business Class, on long-distance flights, seats can become fully flat beds. These beds are 79 inches long. Each seat has a 15-inch screen for entertainment. The newest planes have modern entertainment systems. On the A330-300 planes, Business Class seats are arranged so everyone has aisle access. In Economy Class, most wide-body and narrow-body planes have screens for entertainment.

On their A330-300 and A320 family planes, passengers can pay for internet access and mobile phone services.

Entertainment on Flights

In-flight entertainment in Business class on Sri Lankan Airlines A330-300 fleet

SriLankan Airlines offers on-demand entertainment on its planes. The A320, A321, and A330-200 planes have the RAVE ZODAIC system. The newer A330-300 planes have the latest Thales AVANT system. SriLankan also offers Wi-Fi on its new Airbus A330-300 and A320 family planes. They work with OnAir for this service. SriLankan was the first airline in South Asia to have Wi-Fi on board.

Food Services (Catering)

SriLankan Catering depot at Bandaranaike International

SriLankan Catering Limited is the only company that provides airline food in Sri Lanka. Its main kitchen is at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). This kitchen can make 25,000 meals every day. SriLankan Catering started in 1979. It became a fully owned part of SriLankan Airlines in 1998.

Frequent Flyer Program

SriLankan Airlines has a program for frequent travelers called FlySmiLes. This program lets passengers earn points for flying. They can then use these points for rewards.

After joining the oneworld alliance, new membership levels were added to FlySmiLes. This gives members more benefits when they fly with any Oneworld airline.

There are four membership levels as of May 2014:

• FlySmiLes Blue: This is the basic level.
• FlySmiLes Classic: This level is equal to Oneworld Ruby.
• FlySmiLes Gold: This level is equal to Oneworld Sapphire.
• FlySmiLes Platinum: This level is equal to Oneworld Emerald.

FlySmiles works with all Oneworld airlines. It also partners with Cinnamon Air and Etihad Airways. There are also non-airline partners like Abans and Spa Ceylon.

Challenges and Recovery

SriLankan Airlines has faced challenges, including financial difficulties. In 2008, when Emirates ended its partnership, the airline faced losses in the following years.

During the economic crisis in Sri Lanka in 2022, the country had a fuel shortage. This meant SriLankan's long-haul flights had to make extra stops in India to refuel.

However, for the financial year 2022–2023, SriLankan Airlines made a net profit of $3 million. This was the first time they broke even in over ten years.

Future Plans

After the economic crisis in 2022, the Sri Lankan government looked into selling parts of state-owned companies, including SriLankan Airlines. In 2023, a special unit was set up to help with this.

Several companies showed interest in buying a part of SriLankan Airlines. One company linked to AirAsia was among them. The government owns most of the airline (99.52%) and plans to sell a large share. The government also plans to take on some of the airline's debt.

However, as of September 2024, the current government has decided not to sell the airline.

See also

In Spanish: SriLankan Airlines para niños

• Colombo Marathon, SriLankan Airlines helps sponsor this main marathon in Sri Lanka.
• Bandaranaike International Airport, SriLankan Airlines' main base.