Lionair (Sri Lanka)

Lionair
IATA ICAO Call sign
LN LEO Sri-Lion
Founded1993
Commenced operations1994
Ceased operations2006
Hubs
Fleet size6
Destinations10
HeadquartersRatmalana, Sri Lanka
Key peopleChandran 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.
This article is about the former Sri Lankan airline. For other airlines with similar names, see Lionair.

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]

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-city Airport code Airport name Notes Refs
IATA ICAO
Australia
Melbourne MEL YMML Melbourne Airport Terminated
Sydney SYD YSSY Sydney Airport Terminated
Bangladesh
Dhaka DAC VGZR Shahjalal International Airport Terminated
Greece
Athens ATH LGAV Athens International Airport Terminated
India
Chennai MAA VOMM Chennai International Airport Terminated
Kochi COK VOCI Cochin International Airport Terminated
Mumbai BOM VABB Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminated
Tiruchirappalli TRZ VOTR Tiruchirappalli International Airport Terminated
Trivandrum TRV VOTV Trivandrum International Airport Terminated
Indonesia
Denpasar DPS WADD Ngurah Rai International Airport Terminated
Jakarta CGK WIII Soekarno–Hatta International Airport Terminated
Italy
Rome FCO LIRF Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport Terminated
Kuwait
Kuwait City KWI OKBK Kuwait International Airport Terminated
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur KUL WMKK Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminated
Maldives
Malé MLE VRMM Ibrahim Nasir International Airport Terminated
People's Republic of China
Guangzhou CAN ZGGG Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Terminated
Singapore
Singapore SIN WSSS Singapore Changi Airport Terminated
Sri Lanka
colombo CMB VCBI Bandaranaike International Airport Terminated (Base)
colombo RML VCCC Ratmalana Airport Terminated (Base)
Jaffna JAF VCCJ Jaffna Airport Terminated
Switzerland
Zürich ZRH LSZH Zürich Airport Terminated
United Arab Emirates
Dubai DXB OMDB Dubai International Airport Terminated
United Kingdom
London LHR EGLL London Heathrow Airport Terminated

Fleet

Aircraft Fleet Introduced Retired
Antonov An-24 TBA TBA TBA
Avro 748 TBA TBA TBA

Accidents and incidents

  • On September 29, 1998, Lionair Flight 602, operated by an Antonov An-24RV (Registered EW-46465), fell into the sea off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka under mysterious circumstances. The aircraft departed Jaffna-Palaly Air Force Base on a flight to Colombo and disappeared from radar screens just after the pilot had reported depressurization. Initial reports indicated that the plane had been shot down by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels. All seven crew and 48 passengers were killed.[3][5]

References

  1. ^ "Directory: World Airlines." Flight International. 23–29 March 2004. "TACA Peru" 100.
  2. ^ a b Flight International 5–11 April 2005
  3. ^ a b 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