SriLankan Airlines has bolstered its long-haul fleet with the addition of an Airbus A330-200, marking the carrier’s first new wide-body acquisition in seven years. The aircraft, registered as 4R-ALT, arrived in Colombo on Tuesday (3), on an eight-year lease from Carlyle Aviation Partners.
According to the Chairman of Sri Lankan Airlines, Sarath Ganegoda, the latest purchase has been a strategic move aimed to enhance the airline’s capacity on international routes, addressing previous limitations due to aircraft shortages and suspended expansion plans ahead of the country’s plans to facilitate more tourist arrivals to the country. The A330-200 is renowned for its fuel efficiency and extended range, and is considered to be one of the most sought after aircraft by major commercial airlines in the world.
The aircraft arrived in Colombo with much fanfare, and a low fly by along the coast of Colombo where locals took the opportunity to snap photographs of the newest member to the SriLankan family. With this addition, the airline’s fleet now comprises 23 aircraft, including 10 wide-body and 13 narrow-body planes. Ganegoda told the media during the new aircraft’s maiden landing, that the expansion is part of a broader strategy to increase connectivity to profitable routes in East Asia and East Africa. “SriLankan Airlines have left out so many profitable routes such as Beijing-Colombo and Nairobi-Colombo due to the lack of aircraft, that’s one of the best connections to Australia,” Ganegoda said.
Despite the optimism propagated by the Government and the vast majority of the general public, some took to social media to raise concerns regarding the new aircraft. From the age of the aircraft to the cost of the lease. Some members of the Opposition even raised concerns about the new aircraft’s windscreen wipers in Parliament, alleging that the equipment is not functioning. This claim has been refuted by SriLankan Airlines.
Yet the questions regarding the age of the aircraft, which was manufactured in 2012, has still left many concerned as to why such an “old” aircraft was added to the SriLankan fleet which has been plagued by failing engines, technical equipment that had seen grounded aircraft and flight delays at unprecedented levels in recent years.
The importance of the aircraft’s age in commercial aviation
The age of an airline’s fleet plays a crucial role in operational efficiency, passenger comfort, and environmental impact. Newer aircraft typically offer better fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and enhanced onboard amenities from cabin space, emergency equipment to inflight-entertainment-systems (IFE). And the age of aircraft in all major commercial airlines in the world vary vastly. For instance, Emirates operates a fleet with an average age of approximately 10.9 years, while Qatar Airways maintains an average fleet age of around 9.5 years.
U.S. Airlines such as Delta Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines have aircraft ages of more than 15 years in the fleet, European airlines such as British Airways and the German national carrier, Lufthansa still flies a large fleet of Boeing 777-200 ER and Boeing 747s which are more than 25 years old.
A senior flight engineer and trainer who wishes to remain anonymous at Qatar Airways, told the Sunday Observer that in the aviation industry the metrics by which an aircraft’s competency and safety is not measured by the year of manufacture but by a variety of markers from cabin pressurisation cycles to flying hours. “Whatever the age of the aircraft is, all airlines follow rigid safety standards and regulations mandated by aviation authorities globally,” he said.
Referring to the Boeing 737 MAX controversy the engineer said that a “brand new” aircraft does not always guarantee a safe flight. Boeing faced one of the biggest setbacks in the company’s history when its brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft (manufactured since 2014) – Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, nose-dived due to a technical fault, killing more than 350 passengers five years ago. Again in 2024 Alaska Airlines grounded its “brand new” 737 MAX 9 aircraft after one of its aircrafts lost a part of the fuselage. “An aircraft is like a ship. Do not look at it like it is some SUV you drive to work,” quipped the engineer.
One too many?
SriLankan Airlines’ aspirations of expanding its operations comes with challenges that have left a lasting impact on the aviation industry following the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis. Many middle eastern airlines such as Qatar Airways and Emirates have increased the number of flights to Colombo, and SriLankan Airlines have had to let go of several aircraft due to the expiration of agreements. Could airlines such as Qatar Airways doing five flights from Colombo on average daily have a drastic impact on the goals of SriLankan airlines?
SriLankan Airlines Manager, Corporate Communications Deepal Perera told the Sunday Observer that the increase number of of flights is not a problem but rather a sign of a growing aviation industry in Sri Lanka. He said that countries such as Qatar and U.A.E’s titanic economies have made it possible for the national carriers to increase flights to the country. “Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis getting a ship of fuel to the country was reason to be celebrated.
At such a time increasing the number of Sri Lankan flights was impossible,” said Perera. He added that the increased flights from other airlines imply that there is a growing interest in tourists wanting to come to SriLanka and SriLankan Airlines must increase their operational capacity to meet the demand.
Shedding hope on the loss-making national carrier which in recent years explored the options of auctioning its slots in major airports to cover its losses, including the age-old slots at Heathrow airport in London, Perera said that the new aircraft will be deployed for direct long-haul flights from Colombo. He told the Sunday Observer that the direct flights will include popular destinations such as London, Frankfurt and Paris.
He also said that two more widebodied aircraft will be added to the SriLankan Airlines fleet by the end of the year under a dry lease agreement. However, due to a non-disclosure agreement signed by SriLankan Airlines, he said that information on the cost of the dry-lease nor the additional aircraft can be made public at present.
