Sri Lanka’s national airline has weathered decades of turbulence, from political headwinds to continuous financial difficulty. Originally launched as Air Lanka in 1979, the carrier was partially managed by Emirates before returning to full state control in 2008. Today, its fleet consists entirely of Airbus planes, featuring a mix of A320 family and A330 jets, both old and new. Although my flight was initially scheduled to be operated by an ageing A320, I was surprised to see an A320neo being flown from Colombo instead.

Booking SriLankan Airlines

Having redeemed an award for my flight to India, it was clear that I had to find a one-way itinerary back home. After scouring Google Flights for a bit, I found a reasonably good fare on SriLankan Airlines; this involved flying from Kathmandu to Jakarta, with an overnight stopover in Colombo. I paid a fare of USD 560 (or about GBP 413) for both segments in Business Class. Despite having Jakarta as my destination, the airline ultimately cancelled my flight days before departure; so instead, I agreed to be rerouted to Singapore after SriLankan refused to accommodate me on another flight arriving on the same day.

Check-in

As is common practice in the region, there is a passenger identification and security check before you can enter the terminal at Tribhuvan International Airport. The line moved very slowly and snaked along the entrance. This wasn’t an issue, however, as I arrived with much time to spare before my 13.20 departure.

After making it inside, it didn’t take long for me to find the SriLankan Airlines check-in counters. There wasn’t much of a line for the Bussiness Class [sic] check-in counters, so I didn’t have to wait very long. While check-in was mostly a breeze, I did encounter a bit of an issue when the agent initially refused to short-check our bags to Colombo during our overnight layover. This was quickly resolved, however, when the station manager addressed the issue. Before long, I was handed back my passport, with boarding passes and my lounge invitation in hand.

Lounge

SriLankan Airlines contracts with the Radisson Executive Lounge at Tribhuvan International Airport. This facility is also used by the vast majority of airlines operating in Kathmandu. Despite its name, there was nothing ‘executive’ about the space; regardless, it is still a much nicer place to spend your time, at least compared to the main terminal. I have reviewed the lounge in a previous instalment, which you can read here.

Boarding

With about 20 minutes to spare before boarding was scheduled to begin, I decided to leave the Radisson Executive Lounge and clear the security checkpoint. This ended up being a bad decision – it turned out that my flight was delayed for 40 minutes due to the late arrival of the aircraft. Furthermore, the main passenger terminal lacks shops and amenities, except for a couple of small coffee shops. Worse yet, the chairs were uncomfortable, and the washrooms were dirty. Curiously, the airport appears to take a very lax stance on boarding. For a Thai Airways departure, they waited for two passengers who were still buying drinks at the coffee shop, even after the last call!

Although our boarding passes suggested a boarding time of 13.40, in reality, the aircraft only landed in Kathmandu at 13.46. As such, there was a bit of a wait to be had before we would be invited to board. Surprisingly, however, boarding casually started at 14.09, without any boarding calls of any kind; Business Class passengers could board at their convenience.

Owing to the design of Tribhuvan International Airport, we had to be ferried to our plane by bus. After a short ride to the far end of the International Terminal apron, our SriLankan Airbus A320neo soon came into view. This time, our flight was operated by 4R-ANA, an Airbus A320neo delivered new to SriLankan Airlines in February 2017.

SriLankan A320neo cabin

Like the airline’s older Airbus A320-200, SriLankan’s Airbus A320neo features 12 seats in Business Class arranged in a 2-2 configuration. Although the cabin also features a similar offering of recliner seats as the older planes, the seats themselves are different. Specifically, these appear to be Geven Comoda R7 seats, like those on Royal Brunei, which represents a marginal improvement to the old seats. For one, the grey slimline seats have been replaced with thicker seats equipped with seatback entertainment screens.

Each seat offers around 49 inches of pitch, which is extremely generous for a regional Business Class, even by Asian standards! Furthermore, the seats are equipped with leg rests, which makes a noticeable difference when you’re trying to sleep. I also found the padding to be firm and supportive, with enough recline for very comfortable lounging.

As expected, the bulkhead row offered a great deal of legroom, with close to 60 cm (12.6 inches) of space; this definitely made for a significantly more open and comfortable feel compared to your average recline seat.

Likewise, legroom in the second row is extremely generous. I measured about 50 cm or 20 inches between my knees and the seatback in front – better than the bulkhead Business Class seats on a lot of other airlines.

In addition, waiting on each seat at boarding was a pillow and a blanket, both featuring a stylised peacock motif, tying in with the airline’s branding. The pillow itself was also large and significant – comparable to those on long-haul flights – providing excellent lumbar support throughout the flight.

Seat details

Fitted on the seatback or the bulkhead directly across you is the in-flight entertainment monitor, which features a crisp and intuitive touchscreen with a sleek black bezel. I’ll note that in the first row, the monitor’s high placement on the bulkhead makes the touchscreen less convenient. Additionally, non-bulkhead seats have a dedicated storage well on the lower seatback, while first row passengers will need to make do with a traditional literature pocket for storage.

Like in any traditional Business Class recliners, the tray table pulls out of the side armrests. When fully unfolded, the table joins the centre console, creating a very sturdy and solid surface for meals and work. Interestingly, however, a smaller cocktail table or surface you’d usually find in these seats isn’t installed on the centre console.

Curiously, both the armrests and the centre console were clad in leather and chrome, adding an extra premium feel to the seat. The latter is also where the entertainment remote control, audio port, and recline buttons are housed. Furthermore, you’ll also find universal power outlets on the centre console, which is always a nice, if not essential amenity to have on any flight.

In addition, the seat also has a generous degree of recline, which seems reasonable considering the excellent legroom. As is normal with regional recliners, the recline function is operated manually by use of a button on the centre console. I’ll also add that overhead air vents are installed in the cabin, which is always appreciated.

Departure from Kathmandu

On board, I was welcomed by Ranuli and Nirmali, the two flight attendants looking after the Business Class cabin with warm smiles. Once most of the passengers had settled in, Ranuli made her way down the aisle offering pre-departure drinks – a classic trio of orange juice, apple juice, or water. This was accompanied by a hot towel service moments later.

About 20 minutes after boarding began, the final bus pulled up with the last few passengers. Business Class settled at five out of twelve seats filled. By 14:33, the door was closed, and we were set for departure. The captain came over the PA with a brief welcome and a flight time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. This was followed by an automated welcome announcement in Sinhala, Tamil, and English – the three main languages of Sri Lanka – and a screening of the safety video.

We began pushback at 14:41, running over 80 minutes behind schedule. With final safety checks complete, Ranuli came round to hand out the in-flight menus for today’s flight. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes fixed on the window, hoping to catch sight of anything interesting on the apron as we taxied out.

Sadly, there wasn’t a lot of in-terminal traffic by the time we started taxiing. Instead, I only managed to see two Airbus A320s, belonging to Air India and Indigo, both headed to Delhi.

Departure and Takeoff

We entered Runway 02 a few minutes later. However, as the taxiways at Tribhuvan International do not reach the end of Runway 02, a backtrack to the end of the runway and 180-degree turn were needed before take-off. We were airborne by 14:50, nine minutes after pushback.

As we ascended into the air, we flew past the airport’s maintenance hangar. Do you notice any interesting planes parked up in this area? If you pay close attention, you could see a few unusual planes, including a Nepal Airlines Xian MA60 and a Guna Airlines BAe Jetstream 41. You’ll also see the sole example of a Boeing 757-200M combi, which used to belong to Nepal Airlines. The airline has struggled to find buyers for the ageing plane, so it has sadly been sitting untouched at the airport.

Before long, we were treated to a spectacular sweep of the Kathmandu Valley—its jumble of colourful houses and buildings spilling across the landscape, all framed by the valley’s rugged, quietly imposing mountains.

Inflight Service

We reached our cruising altitude 10 minutes after takeoff, highlighted by the seatbelt signs being turned off. This prompted the crew to play automated announcements about the seatbelts, inflight WiFi, FlySMiles, duty-free, and more. As this was played in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, it took over five minutes for the announcements to finish. Soon after, the late lunch service started, with Nirmali coming by to offer a ramekin of Sri Lankan cashews. Being a trademark of the country’s produce, this was a wonderful and high-quality local touch.

Before long, Nirmali returned to take our food and drink orders. Business Class passengers are offered four choices of main courses for this late lunch service. For reference, the following was the menu on our flight. I’ll also note that SriLankan serves Champagne Joseph-Perrier Cuvée Royale, which is a solid choice.

Lunch service

Our meals were finally served 25 minutes after takeoff, with each tray delivered by hand from the galley. For my meal, I selected the ‘Fish White Curry’, which was the Sri Lankan meal option. This fish was served with tampered beetroot, brown rice, and bean curry, as well as a fresh kachumber salad and a coffee cake on the side. The meal also came with a serving of garlic bread, which was cold and hard.

Being heavily infused with rich spices and the creaminess of coconut milk, the main was extremely flavourful. Although I’m not usually a big fan of rich and hearty food, this really hit the spot – especially after a relatively long day at Tribhuvan International Airport. While the main and salad tasted fresh, the dessert was quite stale and dry in comparison.

Halfway through the meal, the cabin crew passed through the cabin once again to offer warm Indian flatbread. As this looked very appetising, I decided to partake in the offering. It did not disappoint.

For reference, the following is what the vegetarian ‘Polos Curry’ option looks like, featuring a young jackfruit curry, served with yellow rice, a vegetable cutlet, and carrots and beans.

Post meal

After I finished my meal, I was offered some Ceylon tea, to which I obliged. Again, this was delivered by hand, this time on a silver platter. While this was very nice, it was quite hard to enjoy as we got caught in some choppy air for the rest of the flight. The crew passed by the cabin again several times after this. While the service was friendly and well-intentioned, I felt that the attention to detail could be improved; it took me several tries to get a glass of water, which is quite unfortunate for such a simple request.

Entertainment

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the touchscreen monitor is quick and intuitive. However, given its position on the bulkhead, it was quite hard to use the touchscreen. As such, I relied on the handheld remote, which uses a mouse-like scroll function to control the screen. Additionally, a pair of SriLankan-branded noise-cancelling headphones were also offered with the system; although it was neither the best nor the most comfortable headphones out there, it does the job in the end.

The system itself has an identical interface to that of Nepal Airlines and Batik Air, although with a much better offering. In total, there was a selection of 72 films, including titles from Hollywood, Bollywood, East Asia and more. While this was leaps behind Singapore Airlines’ KrisWorld or Cathay Pacific’s StudioCX, I appreciated that there were at least a few new releases from several months prior.

As I didn’t find any of the films interesting, I ended up watching an old episode of Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs. Although only a couple of episodes were loaded, this was at least entertaining in a surreal way. Sadly, SriLankan no longer publishes an inflight magazine, although a shopping catalogue was at least still available.

Lavatory

Following the meal, I decided to check out the lavatory and quickly freshen myself. The Business Class lavatory, which is located at the galley in front, was nothing out of the ordinary. Due to the curvature of the aircraft, the lavatory understandably feels rather cramped; however, I appreciated how it was at least clean and dry.

Furthermore, the lavatory setup was completed by a range of toiletries, featuring products from Sri Lanka. This included a customised hand-wash, mouthwash, an eau de toilette, a room fragrance, as well as a moisturiser. Definitely loving the local touches from SriLankan!

Arrival in Colombo

About half an hour before landing, the captain came over the PA to announce our initial descent and share some brief arrival details. True to schedule, the seatbelt signs lit up seven minutes later, setting the cabin in motion for arrival preparation. A familiar automated safety announcement followed – again in three languages – marking the start of the routine descent formalities. As we dropped into the final stretch, the cabin crew made a quick round spraying disinfectant, a lingering holdover from pandemic-era protocols.

Before long, the verdant coast of Sri Lanka came into view, unveiling a land blanketed in tropical coconut trees. Moments later, Bandaranaike International Airport emerged on the horizon, allowing me to catch a glimpse of an Airbus A400M parked at the far apron as we descended – an unexpected and striking sight. We landed on Runway 04 at 17:29, with a moderately rough touchdown. As we slowed and turned off the runway, the purser welcomed us to Sri Lanka and once again, apologised for the delay.

We ended up parking next to a FitsAir Airbus A320-200, a Sri Lankan airline that has, in recent times, operated flights on-behalf of SriLankan Airlines. Being a relatively new entrant to the scheduled operations market, it was certainly an interesting plane to see!

Verdict

As you might gather from the review, I had a surprisingly pleasant experience on SriLankan Airlines. Although the service wasn’t especially memorable, it was consistently polite and friendly. Furthermore, the seats and entertainment system more than met my expectations; likewise, I found the catering to be above average. Overall, while nothing about the flight was mind-blowing, everything about the flight was executed nicely. And no, I wouldn’t say SriLankan is a world-class airline, but for the price I paid, it was a very solid offering. As such, I’d happily fly with them again without a second thought.

Read more from this trip here!