Sri Lankan Airlines last year shared that it is considering the Airbus A330neo and A350 as options to join its facilities as part of its fleet modernization process. Yet, heading into 2023, there are currently no plans for a major aircraft order. Simple Flying this week caught up with SriLankan Airlines chairman Ashok Pathirage to find out more about the overall fleet strategy.

The fleet mix

The flag carrier of Sri Lanka last received a new aircraft back in 2018. Today, the airline holds a streamlined all-Airbus arsenal of narrowbodies and widebodies.

According to ch-aviation, SriLankan’s fleet is split by the following;

• A320-200 x 5
• A320-200N x 2
• A321-200 x 1
• A321-200N x 4
• A330-200 x 5
• A330-300 x 7

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Assessing the options

The youngest members of the fleet are the A320neo family aircraft, with an average age of five years. The A330-300s are also relatively young, at seven years old. The oldest of the pack are the A330-200s, which are 20 years old on average. These aircraft offer plenty of capacity, with 1,346 seats between them. Nonetheless, only two of these units are currently active.

Pathirage explains that several aircraft will exit the SriLankan Airlines’ fleet over the next 18 months, and the company is in discussions with its shareholder, the Government of Sri Lanka, to secure replacement aircraft through a Request For Proposal (RFP).

Still, there is no conclusion about which aircraft types will enter the fold in the coming years. The jury is still out.

Pathirage explained the following to Simple Flying during our interview:

“Even so, we do not have plans to go for a large, long-term aircraft order at the moment. We will evaluate all viable options and decide on the most feasible plan for the future of the airline’s fleet.

“We are always assessing new opportunities in the aircraft leasing market, but it is too early to comment on it at this time.”

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Looking ahead

Nonetheless, both the A330neo and A350 are strong suitors to handle SriLankan’s long-haul operations this decade. The airline is already familiar with the A330 series. Thus, the neo would be a natural successor.

However, the A350 is increasingly becoming a flagship among widebody holdings across the globe. It would slot in nicely on long-distance journeys to the likes of London, Frankfurt, and Melbourne. It has a strong track record in the markets that SriLankan serves. Notably, Taiwan's Starlux Airlines just took delivery of its first unit this week as it plans to head across the Asia-Pacific region with the type as the new year approaches.

As we start to see the older units exit SriLankan's fleet over the next 18 months, it won’t be a surprise to hear an update on this front soon.

What are your thoughts about SriLankan’s fleet mix? What do you make of the overall prospects of the aircraft? Let us know what you think of the airline and its plans in the comment section.

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  SriLankan Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  UL/ALK

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Year Founded:

  1972

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Richard Nuttall

  Country:

  Sri Lanka