SriLankan Airlines
Sri LankaFull-service carrieroneworld memberSince 1979
SriLankan Airlines (IATA UL, ICAO ALK) is Sri Lanka's state-owned national carrier, launched as Air Lanka in 1979 and based at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo. It has been a oneworld member since 1 May 2014 and flies an all-Airbus fleet, which reached 23 aircraft in June 2025.
- Founded
- 1979
- First flight
- 1979-09-01
- Headquarters
- Katunayake, Sri Lanka
- Country
- Sri Lanka
- Main hubs
- Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo (CMB)
- Airline type
- Full-service carrier
- Alliance
- oneworld
- Loyalty
- FlySmiLes
- Ownership
- State-owned. The Government of Sri Lanka dropped a plan to sell a majority stake in July 2024 and chose to restructure the airline instead.
- Callsign
- SRILANKAN
- Website
- srilankan.com
How travel agents book SriLankan Airlines
GDS distribution
No verified public statement of SriLankan's GDS distribution arrangements was found for this profile.
NDC
SriLankan runs an NDC agents' booking portal, SriLankan Direct Connect, which gives travel agents direct access to its reservation system. It was launched in Sri Lanka in August 2023 and rolled out globally starting with India in January 2024. The airline has not published the NDC schema version or certification details.
Direct channels
Direct bookings are made on srilankan.com, through the 24-hour Colombo contact centre and at SriLankan sales offices.
Notes for travel agents
SriLankan says agents booking through Direct Connect can access private fares, ancillaries, free date changes and an incentive scheme for flown segments.
On ReservationHub
ReservationHub gives agencies GDS content from Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport plus NDC and low-cost channels in one platform. See the full list on our integrations page.
History of SriLankan Airlines
The airline was launched as Air Lanka on 1 September 1979, flying two Boeing 707s on a first service to Bangkok. Within months it reached Europe, the Gulf, Southeast Asia, India and the Maldives. Lockheed TriStars arrived in 1980 and a Boeing 747 in 1984, and in 1990 the airline joined IATA.
Air Lanka took its first Airbus A320 in 1993 and was the first airline in South Asia to fly the A340, from 1994. A strategic partnership with Emirates began in 1998, and in 1999 the airline was rebranded SriLankan Airlines. Once the last TriStars left in 2000, the fleet was all Airbus.
On 1 May 2014 SriLankan became the first airline from the Indian subcontinent to join a global alliance, oneworld. It added A330-300s that year and A320neo and A321neo jets from 2017. In July 2024 the government abandoned a plan to sell a majority stake, as no bidder was judged suitable, and chose to restructure the airline instead. The fleet returned to 23 aircraft in June 2025.
Milestones
- 1979Launched as Air Lanka on 1 September with a Boeing 707 flight to Bangkok.
- 1990Joined IATA.
- 1998Strategic partnership with Emirates began.
- 1999Rebranded from Air Lanka to SriLankan Airlines.
- 2014Joined oneworld on 1 May, the first airline from the subcontinent in a global alliance.
- 2024Government dropped privatisation in July and chose restructuring.
Fleet
Aircraft types in service as of 2025
SriLankan's corporate site describes an all-Airbus fleet of 23 aircraft. That total was reached in June 2025, when a leased A330 joined a fleet of nine A330s for long-haul flying and 13 A320-family jets for regional routes. The narrow-body fleet mixes older A320s with A320neos and A321neos. In 2024 the government approved four leased wide-bodies to support the restructuring plan.
Network and hubs
SriLankan operates from Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, with routes to India and the rest of South Asia, the Gulf, Southeast and East Asia, Europe and Australia. The airline says that with codeshare partners it connects to 114 destinations in 62 countries (2024).
The Indian market is especially important. Colombo is used as a connecting point between India and long-haul destinations, and SriLankan launched its NDC agent portal in India in January 2024.
SriLankan Airlines: frequently asked questions
What are SriLankan Airlines' IATA and ICAO codes?
SriLankan Airlines uses the IATA code UL and the ICAO code ALK, with the radio callsign SRILANKAN. Its ticket prefix in the IATA register is 603, so SriLankan tickets begin with 603. Flight numbers are shown as UL followed by digits.
Is SriLankan Airlines in oneworld?
Yes. SriLankan joined oneworld on 1 May 2014, becoming the first airline from the Indian subcontinent in a global alliance. FlySmiLes Classic, Gold and Platinum members receive oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald status respectively.
What is SriLankan Direct Connect?
SriLankan Direct Connect is the airline's NDC booking portal for travel agents. It links agents directly to SriLankan's reservation system without a GDS. It started in Sri Lanka in August 2023 and was rolled out internationally from India in January 2024.
Who owns SriLankan Airlines?
SriLankan Airlines is owned by the Government of Sri Lanka. A plan to sell a majority stake was abandoned in July 2024, when the government said none of the interested parties was suitable, and the airline is being restructured under state ownership.
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Book a meetingSources
- SriLankan Airlines — About us
- SriLankan Airlines — SriLankan Airlines turns 45
- SriLankan Airlines — Global launch of NDC agents portal SriLankan Direct Connect in India
- SriLankan Airlines — Contact us
- oneworld — SriLankan Airlines to join oneworld on 1 May
- oneworld — SriLankan Airlines member page
- Daily FT — UL corporate offices relocate to Airline Centre in Katunayake
- EconomyNext — SriLankan expands fleet to 23 with another A330
- ch-aviation — Colombo abandons plans to privatise SriLankan Airlines
- IATA — Airline members list
- FAA — JO 7340.2 Contractions, ICAO aircraft operator designators