Lankan budget airline to resume operations, to fly India

Colombo: Sri Lanka's budget airliner 'Mihin Lanka', which had shut down its operations since May this year due to global financial crisis, is all set to resume its operations to India and other countries from December 21.
The airline will lease an aircraft from France to re-launch these operations and will fly daily to Dubai, Trichy and Trivandram with the resumption of the flight, the state owned "Daily News" quoted an official as saying.
"The airline is now in the process of evaluating tenders to seal the best option to wet lease the aircraft. It is expected that the lessee would provide us with pilots and some crew members," an airline official said.
It is expected that the government would once again come out to fund the airline, the newspaper reported.
However, the official dismissed speculation that the airline would merge with Lankan Airlines.
"We are looking at synergies where both could work together," official said.
Mihin, which was flying to Bodhgaya, Maldives, Bangkok and Singapore, temporarily halted operations six months ago. It was flying both to Trichy and Trivandram thrice a week, prior to suspending its work, officials said.
The airline is planning to resume its flights to Bodhgaya in Bihar also. It had started its non-stop weekly service to Bodhgaya from September last year, catering to its lakhs of Buddhist citizens.
11/12/08 PTI/Economic Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Foreign Dec 2008, Low Cost General Dec 2008