Lionair (Sri Lanka)

Last updated
Lionair
Lionair.JPG
IATA ICAO Call sign
LNLEOSri-Lion
Founded1993
Commenced operations1994
Ceased operations2006
Hubs
Fleet size6
Destinations10
Headquarters Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
Key people Chandran Rutnam, founder and chairman
Angelina Jolie is seen during her to visit to Jaffna after traveling by Lionair at the Jaffna Airport in April 2003. Angelina Jolie in Jaffna.JPG
Angelina Jolie is seen during her to visit to Jaffna after traveling by Lionair at the Jaffna Airport in April 2003.

Lionair was an airline with its head office in the Asian Aviation Centre in Sri Lanka on the grounds of Ratmalana Airport near Colombo. [1] It was a privately owned charter operator. Its main base was Ratmalana International Airport. [2]

Contents

History

The airline was established in October 1993. The airline started its operations on 24 October 1994. Initially it was owned by Lionvert Inc USA (51%), a United States-based investors group and by Sri Lankan investors (49%). Lionvert sold its stake in late 1997. Lionair suspended domestic services when an Antonov An-24 aircraft went missing shortly after it took off from Jaffna in 1998, but resumed services in October 2002. [2]

Lionair had operated services between Colombo and Jaffna since October 1996, until the suspension of services in 1998. They had hoped to resume services in November 1998. [3]

In 2005, Lionair applied to the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka to operate services to the following destinations: Athens, Chennai, Kochi, Denpasar, Dhaka, Dubai, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London, Malé, Melbourne, Mumbai, Rome, Singapore, Sydney, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvananthapuram and Zürich, using Avro 748 and Airbus A320 aircraft. [4]

Terminated routes

Country-cityAirport codeAirport nameNotesRefs
IATAICAO
Australia
Melbourne MELYMML Melbourne Airport Terminated
Sydney SYDYSSY Sydney Airport Terminated
Bangladesh
Dhaka DACVGZR Shahjalal International Airport Terminated
Greece
Athens ATHLGAV Athens International Airport Terminated
India
Chennai MAAVOMM Chennai International Airport Terminated
Kochi COKVOCI Cochin International Airport Terminated
Mumbai BOMVABB Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminated
Tiruchirappalli TRZVOTR Tiruchirappalli International Airport Terminated
Trivandrum TRVVOTV Trivandrum International Airport Terminated
Indonesia
Denpasar DPSWADD Ngurah Rai International Airport Terminated
Jakarta CGKWIII Soekarno–Hatta International Airport Terminated
Italy
Rome FCOLIRF Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport Terminated
Kuwait
Kuwait City KWIOKBK Kuwait International Airport Terminated
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur KULWMKK Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminated
Maldives
Malé MLEVRMM Ibrahim Nasir International Airport Terminated
People's Republic of China
Guangzhou CANZGGG Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Terminated
Singapore
Singapore SINWSSS Singapore Changi Airport Terminated
Sri Lanka
colombo CMBVCBI Bandaranaike International Airport Terminated (Base)
colombo RMLVCCC Ratmalana Airport Terminated (Base)
Jaffna JAFVCCJ Jaffna Airport Terminated
Switzerland
Zürich ZRHLSZH Zürich Airport Terminated
United Arab Emirates
Dubai DXBOMDB Dubai International Airport Terminated
United Kingdom
London LHREGLL London Heathrow Airport Terminated

Fleet

AircraftFleetIntroducedRetired
Antonov An-24 TBATBATBA
Avro 748 TBATBATBA

Accidents and incidents

References

  1. "Directory: World Airlines." Flight International . 23–29 March 2004. "TACA Peru" 100.
  2. 1 2 Flight International 5–11 April 2005
  3. 1 2 TamilNet 30 October 1998
  4. Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka Archived 2006-10-13 at the Wayback Machine 11 April 2005
  5. Aviation Safety Network retrieved 23 November 2006