Air Ceylon was the flag carrier airline of Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon until 1972) from 1947 until 1978, when it was replaced by Air Lanka.
[edit] History
Air Ceylon was established in 1947 as a state-owned company, initially operating scheduled domestic flights using Douglas C-47 Dakota aircraft. International services with Douglas DC-4s commenced in 1949, in a co-operation with Australian National Airways, which acquired a 49 percent stake in Air Ceylon. This partnership lasted until 1953, when it was replaced by new international co-operations: In 1956 with KLM,[1] which included the lease of two Lockheed Constellation airliners for long-haul flights, and with BOAC in 1962, allowing the launch of flights to London using the de Havilland Comet.
From the mid-1960s, the Hawker Siddeley HS 748 became the aircraft mainly used on Air Ceylon's short-haul routes, along with the Aérospatiale N 262. When the construction of Bandaranaike International Airport was completed in 1967, Air Ceylon opened its hub there. In 1972, Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) became Air Ceylon's partner, introducing French-made aircraft into the fleet. UTA ended the partnership on 31 March 1977, leaving Air Ceylon without a European aide.[1] In 1978, Air Ceylon was shut down by the Sri Lankan government due to bankruptcy, and Air Lanka became new national carrier.
Over the years, Air Ceylon operated the following aircraft types:[1]
-
[edit] Destinations
During that period, Air Ceylon offered multiple-stopover flights, which were leaving Colombo on three routes: To Europe, to Australia, and a regional one to India. KLM was the important partner airline, serving as gerneral sales agent for Air Ceylon.[2][3]
- Australia
- Bahrain (British mandate)
- Ceylon
- Egypt
|
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- The Netherlands
|
- Italy
- Pakistan
- Singapore (British mandate)
- United Kingdom
|
Due to more modern aircraft with a longer range, fewer stops were required on the long-distance routes, reducing travel time. Air Ceylon passengers could reach additional destinations (in Europe and towards Australia) with co-operative BOAC or Qantas flights.[4]
- Ceylon
- India
|
- Italy
- Malaysia
- Pakistan
|
- Singapore
- United Kingdom
|
The co-operation with BOAC and Qantas was reduced at that time, instead a codeshare-like agreement was signed with Indian Airlines. As a consequence, Air Ceylon re-launched services to Australia and expanded its European network.[5][6][7]
- Australia
- France
- India
- Indonesia
|
- Italy
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Pakistan
- Singapore
|
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
- United Kingdom
|
[edit] Accidents and incidents
- On 21 December 1949, an Air Ceylon Douglas C-47 Dakota (registered VP-CAT) was damaged beyond repair in a crash landing at Tiruchirapalli Airport following a scheduled passenger flight from Jaffna. The 21 passengers and three crew members survived the accident.[8]
- On 7 September 1978, an Air Ceylon Hawker Siddeley HS 748 (registered 4R-ACJ) was destroyed in a fire while parked at Ratmalana Airport. Two pilots had been carrying out pre-departure checkups, when the fire started by the explosion of a bomb in the aircraft cargo hold.[9]
[edit] References
