June 01, 2007 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines is stopping its domestic floatplane operations, in the wake of orders to stop flying to key destinations and a fall in tourist arrivals, the airline said. A team from the Dubai-based carrier is due in Sri Lanka to start talks on the extension, a senior treasury official said last month. "This is indeed a very disappointing development in our efforts to provide swift, yet affordable domestic air travel to key destinations within Sri Lanka, thus avoiding lengthy journeys on our frequently congested roads," SriLankan Chief Executive Peter Hill said in a statement.
"We have persevered almost single-handedly for the last three years, to develop this Air Taxi service into a viable and sustainable operation, overcoming innumerable regulatory, administrative, environmental and logistical challenges."
Branded 'Air Taxi', SriLankan used floatplanes to operate 3,700 flight and carry 17,000 passengers in the last three years.
The last flight to Ampara would be on June 05, and passengers who had booked flights after that would be taken overland, the airline said.
SriLankan says it was planning to add the Castlereagh reservoir to its network and was e
