SriLankan Airlines Friday took delivery of its second Airbus 330-300 continuing an extensive re-fleeting program it hopes will enable it to turnaround to profit from its present loss-making position.

The new aircraft named “The City of Sihagiri ” will be utilised on the major Far Eastern markets of Canton, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, the airline said in a news release.

This latest wide body A330-300 aircraft with superior inflight features and comfort, advanced technological features and enhanced fuel efficiency joins the airline’s existing all Airbus fleet. The fuel efficiency, particularly, is expected to be a major factor in a turnaround.

SriLankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena said, “The induction of another new A330-300 aircraft in to our fleet within a short span of two months is another testimony for our continuous efforts to modernise our aircraft fleet to deliver a superior flying experience for our valued passengers.

“We at SriLankan firmly believe the new A330-300s will be successful chapter for us in operational terms, with the most recently acquired aircraft reflecting a strong customer interest and high seat factors on the routes it has been deployed on to date.

“We have already received very encouraging feedback from our customers expressing high levels of satisfaction on the superior features and comfort of this aircraft.”

The A330-300 powered by twin Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines known for its proven passenger appeal and fuel efficiency is one of the most widely used wide body aircraft in service today.

With the latest arrival of a brand new aircraft and another five to follow during the course of 2015, SriLankan Airlines says it will offer its customers the luxury of completely transformed Business and Economy class cabin interiors.

“Passengers will be afforded a new flying experience whilst satisfying customer demand for increased capacity on the primary routes of the Far East thus enabling the airline to increase passenger traffic, strengthen load factors and improve on market share in leading growth markets of the region and including some of Sri Lanka’s main tourism generating markets,” the news release said.

Affording optimum levels of comfort in the aircraft cabin, this new A330-300 too will configure its layout seating 297 passengers in two classes accommodating 28 in Business Class with flatbed seats and 269 in Economy.  It also boasts of state- of-the- art cabin features, such as the latest Thales Avant Audio-Video on Demand (AVOD) and ambient lighting across both cabins, on-board wireless connectivity and ultra-comfort in seating, it added.

SriLankan said it is the first airline from the Indian Subcontinent to offer in-flight Wi-Fi and mobile phone access, enabling its passengers to stay productive and keep in touch with friends and family at affordable rates while flying.

The airline commenced its fleet renewal programme in October this year with the addition of the first A330-300 to its fleet. SriLankan will also be acquiring eight of the new generation A350-900s, with three due to be delivered in 2016 and a fourth in 2017 and the balance thereafter.

source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=116308

After signing the MoU, Chairperson of Hotel Association Nepal Shyam Sundar Lal Kakshyapati said though Nepal-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations were established 55 years ago, the economic sector has not exchanged any substantial cooperation.He also expressed confidence that mutual relations between the two countries would be further enhanced through tourism in the coming days.

He further said that direct flight connectivity between the two countries would help bring Sri Lankan tourists to Nepal, thereby strengthening cultural and religious relations besides economic ties.Chairmen of Hotel Association Sri Lanka Anura Lokuhetti said it was a historic achievement to sign a deal for the promotion of tourism from the private sector.

There is huge potential to attract a large number of tourists from other countries by developing a trip package incorporating Nepal’s mountains and Sri Lanka’s seas, he said.

Also present on the occasion were tourism entrepreneurs of both countries.It is noted that around 70,000 tourists arrive in Nepal every year, of which almost 80 percent visit Lumbini.

Source : http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2012/08/19/new45.asp