• 

  SriLankan Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  UL/ALK

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Year Founded:

  1972

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Richard Nuttall

  Country:

  Sri Lanka

In the last two days, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV) in South India welcomed two Airbus A330 airplanes from SriLankan Airlines. While a widebody landing at TRV is not rare, SriLankan flying its larger jets to this nearby airport is unheard of. So, what exactly has changed for this to happen?

A330 for less than 400 km

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV) is connected with Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo by a daily service from SriLankan Airlines. However, at 366 km, the route is served by the carrier's Airbus A320 family of aircraft.

The airport is also not a stranger to widebody airplanes. For years, Emirates has been flying its Boeing 777-300ER to Thiruvananthapuram daily. But on May 27th and 28th, TRV received SriLankan Airlines’ Airbus A330 airplanes, something that hasn’t happened in recent memory, if at all.

Given the distance between the two cities and passenger demand, a narrowbody aircraft seems enough for the job. So why did the airline fly its larger jets there?

The real reason

The actual reason for these anomalies can be traced to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and the resulting fuel shortage. It seems that Colombo airport does not have enough fuel to support some of SriLankan’s long-haul flights.

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According to The New Indian Express, the carrier has chosen Thiruvananthapuram Airport as the refueling and crew change spot for some of its long-distance services. The two flights on Friday and Saturday were part of this arrangement.

On May 27th, flight UL553 from Colombo to Frankfurt (4R-ALR) landed in the early morning hours at TRV before departing for its eventual destination at 03:56. The following day, another SriLankan A330 (4R-ALN) appeared at the airport, eventually bound for Melbourne. Unlike the flight to Frankfurt, the Melbourne flight had to first fly in the opposite direction to TRV before being refueled for Australia.

However, the fuel problem has not affected all of SriLankan’s long-haul flights. Its daily service to London (UL503) has been operating non-stop as usual, and even the flight to Melbourne on May 29th flew directly south without having to refuel.

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India has been a major supplier of fuel to Sri Lanka ever since the crisis hit, and so the airline does meet its daily fuel needs most of the time. But a source at Thiruvananthapuram Airport says that more SriLankan flights are scheduled to land there for refueling in the coming days, so we may not be entirely done with these rare detours for now.

Revenue increase for TRV

Thiruvananthapuram Airport, however, is not complaining. It is generating extra revenue not just from refueling but also from charging landing and parking fees for these A330s. The New Indian Express Quotes an airport source as saying,

“The halts would help the fuel supply units at the airport generate more income and also fill the state and Centre’s coffers with tax revenue.”

“Besides revenue from refuelling, the airport will also make money from landing and parking charges. We have a vast area for parking even the biggest Airbus Boeing 777 (sic). So the airport has good opportunities. More flights will come here.”

But for SriLankan Airlines, already battling weak finances, these added expenses must surely be pinching the management. Here’s hoping for better days ahead for the carrier.

What are your opinions on SriLankan Airline’s state of affairs? Please let us know in the comment section below.

Source: The New Indian Express