SriLankan acquires Airbus A320

SriLankan Airlines took delivery of yet another Airbus A320 aircraft, as it continues to expand its global route network to serve the needs of the country’s booming travel and tourism industries.

The Airline plans to acquire five more aircraft by the end of 2011, three of which would be the first brand new ones in 11 years. The newest arrival swells SriLankan’s fleet to 15 aircraft - four A320s, five A330s, five A340s, and a De Havilland Twin Otter.

The Sri Lankan Government has identified the tourism industry as a main catalyst of the country’s economic growth, and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his budget speech made special mention of the contribution of the country’s aviation industry and the role to be played by SriLankan Airlines.

A few months ago, SriLankan unveiled extensive plans for expansion which include the launch of services to Guangzhou (Canton) in China in January and other new destinations and the re-launch of its domestic service SriLankan Air Taxi.