oneworld adds SriLankan

SriLankan Airlines has officially joined oneworld and so has become the first airline from the Indian sub-continent to be a member of a global airline alliance.

The national airline of Sri Lanka received clearance to board oneworld, after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness conducted by Cathay Pacific, its sponsoring carrier.

oneworld now includes a leading airline from each global region – fellow Asia-Pacific carriers Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Qantas; Europe’s airberlin, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Russia’s S7 Airlines; from the Middle East, Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian; from North America, American Airlines and partner US Airways; South America's LAN; and more than 30 affiliated airlines.

SriLankan was established in 1978 as Air Lanka following the collapse of the original Sri Lankan flag carrier Air Ceylon.  It was rebranded in 1988 and now serves 64 destinations in 34 countries.  At one time Emirates had a 43% stake in the airline but it is now wholly Government-owned.  Its fleet comprises of 12 Airbus A320 series, seven A330s and six A340s (to be replaced by A350s towards the end of the decade).  www.srilankan.com

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