Sri Lankan Airlines To Lease Up to 21 Aircraft
Colombo, April 14: Sri Lanka’s national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines announced on Thursday that it has issued four requests for proposal (RFPs) to lease up to 21 aircraft to support its long-term business strategy.
The airline said the requests included two RFPs covering existing fleet types Airbus A320 and A330 family aircraft, and two parallel RFPs to compare with alternative aircraft types.
Roughly 60 per cent of the planned aircraft will be for fleet replacement, and the remainder will support the airline’s expansion strategy and meet the growing demand for air travel between Sri Lanka and the rest of the world, the airline said.
In a press release, the airline also said it is planning for measured growth in the next three years through frequency increases and the addition of new destinations as international travel is on a trajectory of recovery from the pandemic.
The decision was made based on its business plan for a 35-aircraft-strong fleet by 2025, and it is critical to lease replacement aircraft when existing aircraft leases expire to sustain operations, according to the company.
