Cinnamon Air

Cinnamon Air
සිනමන් එයාර්
சினமன் எயார்

IATA ICAO Call sign C7 CIN CINNAMON
Founded	2012
Commenced operations	2013
Hubs	Bandaranaike International Airport
Fleet size	3
Destinations	10
Parent company	John Keells Holdings (Saffron Aviation)
Headquarters	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Key people	Sean Dwight (Chief Executive Officer) [1]
Website	www.cinnamonair.com

Saffron Aviation, DBA Cinnamon Air is a Sri Lankan domestic airline, operating from a dedicated terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo to destinations around Sri Lanka. It commenced its daily scheduled operation in July 2013. Cinnamon Air's fleet consists of two Cessna 208 amphibious aircraft and one wheeled Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. Saffron Aviation (Pvt) Ltd. which manages Cinnamon Air is a joint venture between John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH), MMBL Leisure Holdings (Pvt) Ltd., and Phoenix Ventures Limited. ^[2] The company slogan is Wings of Sri Lanka.

Overview

All Cinnamon Air scheduled flights operate in code share with SriLankan Airlines. To further its relationship with the national carrier, one of Cinnamon Air's Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibians sports a SriLankan AirTaxi livery.

Cinnamon Air, owned and operated by Saffron Aviation (Pvt) Limited, is a joint venture between Sri Lanka's largest listed conglomerate, John Keells Holdings, MMBL Leisure Holdings (part of the Mercantile Merchant Bank Group) and Phoenix Ventures (parent of the Brandix Group, Sri Lanka's largest garment manufacturer). The airline is based out of Katunayake where it operates a dedicated domestic terminal (within the precincts of the BIA) and also has its own purpose-built hangar and maintenance facilities. ^[2]

Destinations

[H]	Primary hub
[F]	Future destination
[T]	Terminated destination

City	Country	IATA	ICAO	Airport	Refs
Batticaloa	Sri Lanka	BTC	VCCB	Batticaloa Airport
Colombo	Sri Lanka	CMB	VCBI	Bandaranaike International Airport [H]
Dickwella	Sri Lanka	DIW	-	Mawella Lagoon Airport
Hambantota	Sri Lanka	HRI	VCRI	Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport	[3]
Hatton	Sri Lanka	NUF	-	Castlereigh Water Airport
Jaffna	Sri Lanka	JAF	VCCJ	Jaffna International Airport
Kandy	Sri Lanka	KDZ	-	Polgolla Reservoir
Koggala	Sri Lanka	KCT	VCCK	Koggala Airport
Nuwara Eliya	Sri Lanka	NUA	-	Lake Gregory Waterdrome
Sigiriya	Sri Lanka	GIU	VCCS	Sigiriya Airport
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Colombo)	Sri Lanka	DWO	-	Diyawanna Oya
Trincomalee	Sri Lanka	TRR	VCCT	China Bay Airport
Bentota	Sri Lanka	BJT	-	Bentota River Airport

Codeshare agreements

Cinnamon Air has a codeshare agreement with SriLankan Airlines.

Fleet

Cinnamon Air Cessna 208 on Diyawanna Oya, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

The three aircraft below have been in service with the airline since 2012. ^[4]

Cinnamon Air fleet

Aircraft	Total	Orders	Passengers (economy)	Notes
Cessna 208	2	-	8	Waterdrome operations Supervan 900 - Honeywell TPE331-12JR engine, installed by Texas Turbine Conversions, Inc.
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan	1	-	8	Inland operations Supervan 900 - Honeywell TPE331-12JR engine, installed by Texas Turbine Conversions, Inc.
Total	3	-

Accidents and incidents

On 7 January 2025, a Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian aircraft, registered 4R-CAE and operated by Cinnamon Air, plunged into Lake Gregory in Nuwara Eliya while attempting to land at the nearby Lake Gregory Waterdrome. No passengers were on board and the two pilots were injured but rescued safely. ^{[5] [6]}

See also

• SriLankan AirTaxi
• Helitours
• Bandaranaike International Airport
• List of airlines of Sri Lanka

References

1. "Cinnamon Air uplifts 10,000 passengers for financial year 2017/2018". Daily FT. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
2. "Domestic Airlines Sri Lanka | About Cinnamon Air". Cinnamon Air. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
3. "Cinnamon Air to operate Mattala flights" Archived 24 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine . Aviation Voice. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
4. LBO (2 August 2012). "Sri Lanka's John Keells, Phoenix Ventures floats local air taxi service". Lanka Business Online. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
5. "Seaplane plunges into Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya". Ada Derana. 7 January 2026. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
6. "Seaplane crash in Nuwara Eliya: Statement from CAASL". Newswire. 7 January 2026. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.