New Year Greetings for All Visitors!

Sri Lankas Low Cost Career Mihin Lanka Expands

Sri Lankas sole budget career Mihin Lanka has expanded it’s fleet and has added more destinations. Mihin Lanka now flies to 9 destinations in 6 countries. Dhaka, Male and Jakartha are the new additions to Mihin Lanka’s route network. 

With the increasing number of tourist arrivals Mihin Lanka has a big potential to grow as a feeder airline for the flag career Sri Lankan air lines.  

Rakesh Junjunwala To Start Casino Business in Sri Lanka

Rakesh Junjunwala a top investor mostly into gambling and real estate business, has revealed his plans to start gambling business in Sri Lanka. Rakesh was a chartered accountant by profession and now he is India’s 52nd and world’s 1052nd richest person.  

Apart from the gambling industry Rakesh has a diversified investment portfolios in real estate and stock markets. 

Sri Lanka recently passed a gaming bill in parliament which legalize and promotes the gaming industry in Sri Lanka mainly targeting tourism industry. 

Sean Paul Get Busy in Sri Lanka

Populer Jamaican Grammy winning Reggae/Dancehall artist  Sean Paul  has arrived in Sri Lanka. He is to be performed in “Sean Paul Live in Concert” which will be held tomorrow in Sugathadasa indoor stadium, Colombo  –  Sri Lanka.

With the end of 30-year war, tourist arrivals are picking up and more similar events are scheduled with the participation of top international artists.   

Muslim Congress Joins Government

Muslim congress has decided support the government of Sri Lanka in the parliament.  Currently there are 8 MPs in the parliament representing Muslim congress and they recently voted in favor of 18^th amendment proposed by the ruling party of Sri Lanka   

Sri Lanka’s Casino Bill Passed

The gaming bill presented to the parliament by minister Sarath Amunugama passed with a majority. This allows businessman to setup casinos in designated areas in the country thus attracting mainly foreigners. But Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna an opposition party opposed this move claiming that this will affect country’s rich cultural heritage.

Sri Lanka is experiencing a massive pickup in the tourism industry and expects to welcome 700 000 by next year.

Prisoners Attack Guards – 40 Injured

A group of prisoners have attacked policeman who were doing a search operation inside the prison. It is reported more than 40 have been admitted to the hospital.
Situation is under control now. Very frequently small arms, drugs, mobile phones are smuggled into prisons and prison officers should be more vigilant to stop these illegal actions.

SriLankan Airlines to acquire seven more aircraft by the end of 2011

SriLankan Airlines will acquire its first brand new aircraft in more than a decade, among the seven aircraft it plans to take delivery of by the end of 2011. They include five Airbus A320’s, including three brand new aircraft, and two Twin Otter floatplanes.

SriLankan’s CEO Manoj Gunawardena said: “We will be celebrating an important new chapter in the history of SriLankan Airlines with the arrival of this large number of aircraft within a short period. They will allow SriLankan to significantly enhance the passenger experience on board our flights, give us the ability to fly to more cities in the Subcontinent, Middle East and Southeast Asia, and to also increase capacity to existing destinations in these regions.”

The last time Sri Lanka’s National Carrier took delivery of a brand new aircraft was in June of 2000, when it received the last of six A330-200’s. The three brand new aircraft are scheduled to be acquired in from May-November 2011, and will sport the latest comforts and entertainment systems including Audio-Video On Demand (AVOD) in both Business and Economy Classes.

These three aircraft would be preceded by two other A320’s which are likely to arrive in December 2010 and early 2011. All five aircraft would be on operating leases at very attractive terms of monthly payments. In addition, two Twin Otters are to be acquired for the re-launch of its domestic service SriLankan Air Taxi this winter. The airline is also exploring the possibility of obtaining at least one more long-haul wide-body aircraft to launch services to more new destinations in Europe and the Far East.

“Our fleet expansion plans are constantly updated to support Sri Lanka’s rapidly growing tourism industry, while keeping in mind the financial requirements of the airline,” said SriLankan’s CEO.

Sri Lanka’s National Carrier began a re-fleeting programme shortly after its management changed hands in April 2008, acquiring three A320’s in 2008 and 2009 to replace old aircraft. A wide-body A330-200 was also added to the fleet two months ago.

These seven aircraft will join SriLankan’s fleet of 13 – three A320’s, five A330’s, and five A340’s – with a global network covering 49 cities in 31 countries. The twin-engined A320’s operate to destinations in the Subcontinent, Maldives, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Middle East, while the A330’s and A340’s operate to the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East.

UPS Plane Crash In Dubai

Two crew members aboard an American UPS cargo plane are believed to have been killed after the aircraft crashed inDubai today.

According to a United Arab Emirates official who appeared on local television station al-Arabiya, the plane was attempting to land at Dubai International Airport when it crashed due to technical problems. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft setting fire to vehicles as it crashed and going up in a fireball. Some witnesses told Al-Jazeera that they had seen a fire on the aircraft before it crashed.

UPS spokeswoman Kristen Petrella said the Boeing 747-400 went down at about 8pm and was en route to the UPS hub in Cologne, Germany. Although the company has not officially confirmed casualties, it said two crew members were on board. "This incident is very unfortunate and we will do everything we can to find the cause. Our thoughts go out to the crew members involved in the incident and their families," UPS said in a statement.

Although local reports said the plane had come down near a busy highway intersection south-east of the airport, posters on the Professional Pilots Rumour Network (PPRN) suggest the aircraft went down near an area known as Silicon Oasis. The state news agency, Wam, reported the crash in an unpopulated desert area.

One poster on the PPRN said: "Just five minutes ago. I heard and saw an aircraft, possibly an airliner going down in Dubai near Silicon Oasis. It has just over-flown my house and [there was] a big fireball."UPS, a courier company based in US city of Atlanta, confirmed in a statement that one of its cargo planes had been involved in an accident in Dubai and said it was working to obtain more details.MrMachfivepointfive wrote on PPRN: "UPS. Declared Mayday. Was on approach 30L and then veered off course. Last radar hit showed descending through 500' doing 250kts."

In October 2009, a Sudanese Boeing 707 cargo plane crashed in the desert outside Dubai, killing six crew members. Emirati regulators have since banned Azza Transport, the plane's Sudanese owner, from operating in the country.