SriLankan Airlines has initiated its extensive fleet renewal plan for a more luxurious and enhanced travel experience, with the arrival of its fifth new A330-300 aircraft this month, allowing passengers the opportunity to enjoy the luxury, on-board comforts of a brand new aircraft.

The new arrival marks the airline’s third aircraft introduced in 2015, and will be deployed predominantly on SriLankan Airline’s long -haul routes to Europe, the Far East and China. A remaining two A330s are scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year.

“With the anticipated cost reductions and improved efficiencies from these fuel efficient aircraft and with their product appeal, we are confident of positioning the Airline in achieving better yields and revenues,” says SriLankan Airlines CEO captain Suren Ratwatte. “The response so far with the four recently acquired A330-300s has been very positive, reflecting  enhanced customer satisfaction on the superior features and comfort levels of the aircraft, which inspires us to further improve our brand to make it synonymous with aspirational travel and experiences”.

With the fleet renewal programme the airline will expand its long- and medium-haul operations by optimising fuel efficiency and bring in the possibility of exploring more destinations.

SriLankan Airlines, having become a member of the oneworld airline alliance in May last year, is geared to unveil an enhanced world-class service with a line-up of novelties where the ease of modern air travel harmoniously blends in with the uniqueness of Sri Lanka.

The new aircraft are equipped with advanced in-flight and communication facilities on-board to provide maximum enjoyment and connectivity to business travellers. This includes the Thales Avant, an Android-based audio video on-demand system, in both economy and business class; the Smart Video Display Unit (SVDU) with screen sizes ranging from 10.6-inch in economy class to 15.4-inch in business class; and handheld Touch Passenger Media Units (TPMU), which function as an interactive second screen for web browsing, interactive games and email.  SriLankan Airlines has also introduced “Linked SriLankan”, WIFI and Mobile (GSM) connectivity on all new A330-300 aircraft joining the national carrier’s fleet. The service, provided by OnAir, enables passengers to email, tweet, send text messages, make calls, and surf the internet during the flight.

SriLankan Airlines will be acquiring eight latest generations A350-900 from 2016, which will have a wide fuselage cross-section designed for an optimal travel experience in all classes of service, with passengers enjoying more headroom, wider panoramic windows and larger overhead storage space in addition to providing space for unmatched economy class and business solutions. www.srilankan.com