IATA AGM 2013: SriLankan confirms plans to renew widebody fleet

SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena told (03-Jun-2013) CAPA during a oneworld briefing at the IATA annual general meeting in Cape Town that the carrier plans to start in 2014 the process of renewing its widebody fleet of six A340-300s and seven A330-200s. He says the carrier recently signed a purchase agreement with Airbus that includes six A330-300s with "target" delivery dates starting in late 2014 and seven A350-900s for delivery from 2017 onwards. All 13 aircraft are intended for replacement. Mr Chandrasena says the A330-300s are seen as an interim solution and are also expected to eventually be replaced by A350s in approximately the 2023 timeframe.