Sri Lankan Airlines aims to increase flights and replace aircraft by mid-next year, CEO says.

Sri Lankan Airlines is striving to increase flight frequencies and replace outgoing planes by mid-2024. Its CEO, Richard Nuttall, said the airline cannot simply copy the business models of Gulf carriers but must focus on where it can compete and offer non-stop flights. It must also seek to double capacity on high-demand routes, such as those to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Sri Lankan Airlines plans to codeshare with Gulf carriers to build up the country as a hub, while it is also trying to retain talent and grow its fleet. The Sri Lankan government aims to restructure and partially privatise state-owned enterprises such as the airline.