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    Saudia
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    SV/SVA
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Dammam Airport, Jeddah Airport, Riyadh Airport
    Year Founded:
    1945
    Alliance:
    SkyTeam
    CEO:
    Ibrahim Alkoshy
    Country:
    Saudi Arabia

The former Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has arrived in Singapore on a flight operated by Saudia. The flight took off from Male International Airport (MLE) in the Maldives.

Rajapaksa had fled Sri Lanka on Tuesday night, arriving in the Maldives on a military aircraft. From there, he boarded the Saudia Boeing 787-9 to Singapore. Reports suggest he was traveling with his wife and two children.

According to data from FlightRadar24.com, Saudia flight SV786 was operated by a Boeing 787-9, with the registration HZ-AR11. The flight to Singapore took four and a half hours.

Saudia B787-9
The new airlines are planned to occupy different niches from each other, and won't compete directly with Saudia. Photo: Getty Images.

The former President resigned on Wednesday, amid Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis which has seen the cost of fuel, food, and other basic supplies soar. It is unclear at this stage what his longer-term plans are, but sources have said it is unlikely that the Singaporean government will allow him to stay for long.

Rajapaksa’s presence in Singapore is likely to cause controversy, particularly among the country’s sizeable Tamil population, many of whom are of Sri Lankan heritage. Rajapaksa has been accused of allowing the deaths of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians during the Sri Lankan civil war, while he was defense secretary.

Singapore’s foreign ministry confirmed that Rajapaksa had arrived in the country, stating,

"He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum."

The impact of the crisis on Sri Lankan aviation

Aside from the devastating impact that soaring prices have had on the island nation’s 22 million inhabitants, the ongoing crisis has of course affected aviation in Sri Lanka too.

SriLankan Airlines A330
A Sri Lankan Airlines A330 flying to Chennai also declared an emergency on Saturday. Photo: Airbus

As a result of fuel shortages, the flag carrier Sri Lankan Airlines, as well as a growing number of international carriers, including Air Arabia and Gulf Air, have been making fuel stops in South India. Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Chennai have so far seen increased activity as a result. Some airlines, on the other hand, resorted to suspending services altogether, as was announced by flydubai just three days ago.

Saudia and the Boeing 787

Saudia flight SV786 is a scheduled flight from Jeddah to Male, and onwards to Sri Lanka. It operates three times per week with the Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

The SkyTeam member has a total of 18 Boeing 787s in its fleet – 13 Boeing 787-9s and five larger Boeing 787-10s. It also has a further three Boeing 787-10s on order, awaiting delivery. The aircraft carry 298 and 357 passengers respectively, in a two-class configuration.

The remainder of Saudia’s widebody fleet is made up of 32 Airbus A330-300s and 33 Boeing 777-300ERs.

Saudia 787 Dreamliner
Saudia will deploy its Boeing 787 on the route. Photo: Getty Images

With the former President's departure likely to add to the unrest, there is no sign of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka being resolved any time soon, and the country’s aviation industry is already feeling the impact.

What do you think of this latest development in the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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