Sri Lankan Airlines to resume domestic air service this year

Sri Lankan Airlines, Sri Lanka's state-run national said it will acquire two floatplanes to re-start domestic air services later this year and also buy five short haul Airbus A320 aircraft next year as it looked to fly new routes. Sri Lankan Airlines said it will acquire two De Havilland Canada Twin Otter floatplanes to "more than a dozen" domestic destinations including Colombo.

The airline will acquire five new Airbus A320 aircraft. Three will be brand new, and fitted with audio-video on demand entertainment systems. Its existing A330 and A340 fleet will be fitted with 'flat-beds' in business class. The airline quoted chairman Nishanta Wickremasinghe as saying at a ceremony that SriLankan Airlines intends to be a catalyst for our country’s economic expansion, by supporting the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to transform the island into a hub

Sri Lanka port nearing maximum capacity

Sri Lanka Colombo port is nearing its maximum capacity ahead of forecasts owing to a rapid growth in cargo volumes, the head of the state-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority said.

SLPA chairman Priyath Wickrama said the authorities were getting new equipment and revamping terminal operations to get more out of existing facilities until a new prot under construction became operational.

Colombo port will reach its 4.5 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit or container) capacity by end-2011 although studies by international port consultants had forecast the volume would be reached only by end-2012, he said.

Colombo port handled 2.08 million TEU in 2006 and is forecast to pass the four million TEU mark in 2010, having suffered a drop in 2009 owing to global recession which reduced trade, he told a port seminar.

43 aggressive foreign flora and fauna species identified in Sri Lanka

A recent survey carried out by the Secretariat of Bio-diversity of Sri Lanka reveals that a large number of aggressive flora and fauna species have spread in the island. Out of the 43 species identified, 28 are flora species and 15 are aggressive foreign fauna species.

These invasive alien species are a threat to the existence of the indigenous species and damaging the balance of the island's environment biologists say.

The Secretariat with the assistance of Millennium Environment Programme has launched a five year programme at a cost of 2.5 million US dollars to control the spread of these aggressive foreign species.

Most of these species are believed to have spread to Sri Lanka through ornamental fish and flora imports.

Direct air links between Kunming and Colombo soon

Public Management Reforms Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka welcomed the initiative taken by the Yunnan Province Governor in China, Qin Guangron to launch a direct air link between the capital of Yunnan Province, Kunming and Colombo as it would further boost relations between Sri Lanka and China.

The Governor is visiting Sri Lanka with a delegation of over 200 persons from Yunnan Province on the inaugural flight by China Eastern Airlines to Colombo. He called on Minister Wickramanayaka who hosted a lunch in honour of the official delegation led by the Governor.

Wickramanyaka recalled his two visits to Yunnan Province in 2008 and 2009, when he was able to have very productive discussions with the Governor on further promoting relations between Sri Lanka and Yunnan Province, which has close links with countries in South East Asia and South Asia. During his first visit in 2008 he invited the Governor to lead a business delegation to promote trade and economic links between Sri Lanka and Yunnan Province. He also brought to the attention of the Governor the importance of having direct air links between Western China and Sri Lanka to promote people to people interactions to consolidate relations between the two countries.

The visiting Governor told the Minister that he was responding to the invitation extended by Wickramanayaka in 2008 by visiting Sri Lanka now with a business delegation. He was planning a visit last year but as he had a busy schedule he sent his Vice Governor to Sri Lanka with a delegation.

His delegation now included businessmen as well as representatives from other sectors as he believed there was great potential for closer cooperation between his Province and Sri Lanka in trade, investment, tourism and educational fields. His Province had decided to offer Sri Lanka 20 scholarships to promote educational and cultural links. He said that there were facilities in his Province for Sri Lanka students to pursue higher education.

Sri Lanka and Yunan Province of China signed Several MoUs in the fields of Tourism and leisure, Agriculture, Higher education, Power and energy, Telecommunication, Biomass, Technology and Chemical and Minerals

Several MoUs were signed between Sri Lanka and China at the inauguration of the Sri Lanka-Yunnan (China) Exchanges and Cooperation Promotion on 1st September 2010. These MoUs were signed in the fields of tourism and leisure, agriculture, higher education, power and energy, telecommunication, biomass, technology and chemical and minerals

Economic and trade cooperation between Sri Lanka and Yunnan province of China have maintained a strong momentum of growth during the recent years. Yunnan Province Governor Qin Guangrong said bilateral trade volume in 2008 is nearly six times of that in 2005 an average annual increase of 80 percent.

“The cooperation between the two countries lay upon a sound and solid foundation. The prospects for the bilateral cooperation in the domains of tourism, mining, electric power, education, infrastructure construction, project contracting is wide and bright,” the Governor said. “We wish to join hands with our counterparts in Sri Lanka to promote the economic and trade cooperation by holding this Exchange and Cooperation Promotion on the basis of mutual benefit and equality, with full recognition of mutual complementary in the domains of natural resources, industry structure and technology,” he said.

Chinese Ambassador Yang Xiuping said trade with China and Sri Lanka during the past six months had increased and Sri Lanka’s exports had increased by 60 percent.

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Dr Anura Ekanayake said it’s a great step forward because this was the largest ever trade delegation that had arrived in Sri Lanka. The 200-member trade delegation from the Yunnan Province will make personal connections for investment, trade and commerce.

Sri Lankan Medical Relief to Pakistan