Fly Lankan says first freighter purchased; in talks with Airbus, Boeing for more planes

Friday, 4 February 2022 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From left: Fly Lankan Chairman S.S. Nathan, CEO Dr. Arosha Fernando, Administration Manager Maheshika De Zoysa, COO Ajith Manoratne and Airbus Director of South Asia Frederic Relmy-Madinska during the meeting in Colombo

Fly Lankan, aspiring to be the third international airline, said yesterday in a statement it is currently in talks with Airbus and Boeing to purchase six aircraft including three freighters as its initial fleet.

Fly Lankan has already purchased its first cargo aircraft, a Boeing 737 from Kenya recently.

“We will be commencing cargo operations soon servicing the emerging short-term and long-term cargo requirements in the region using Sri Lanka as the hub. This is a market segment with huge potential and there was a huge demand in the market, which has further increased in the post-COVID new normal conditions. This will be followed by passenger air transport too,” Fly Lankan CEO Dr. Arosha Fernando said.

He said Fly Lankan recently held a meeting with Airbus Director for South Asia Frederic Relmy-Madinska. The Airbus official has said the company will be very much happy to work with Fly Lankan as a strategic partner to build up and expand the business.