Air Transport

Air Deccan’s Sri Lankan affiliate Deccan Lanka is seeking to launch scheduled passenger services from Sri Lanka to India with Airbus A320s and ATR 42/72s using one of two international licences the Sri Lankan government plans to issue in the coming weeks.

Flag carrier Sri Lankan Airlines is currently the only local carrier permitted to operate on international routes, but its monopoly concession expired last year.

Sri Lankan civil aviation authority director general H M C Nimalsiri declines to say which three airlines have been shortlisted, but says one is an existing domestic Sri Lankan carrier, either Aero Lanka or Expo Aviation, and the other two have yet to start up in Sri Lanka.

He declines to say whether Air Deccan’s Sri Lankan affiliate is one of the shortlisted parties, but confirms Deccan Lanka recently applied for an air operator’s certificate to operate fixed-wing passenger aircraft. Deccan Lanka is a charter helicopter operator set up by Air Deccan parent Deccan Aviation and local partners.

Air Deccan managing director Capt G R Gopinath says Air Deccan plans to have two or three Airbus A320s and three ATRs stationed in Sri Lanka.