SriLankan’s Head of Service Delivery, Captain Milinda Ratnayake, said: "SriLankan Airlines is focusing on our commitment to our customer service and has declared 2009 as ‘The Year of our Customer’. The arrival of another new aircraft signifies our commitment to the highest standards in customer service and safety."

SriLankan in March announced its full commitment to ‘Planet Friendly Flights’, becoming the first airline in South Asia to make a full and unconditional commitment to environmental conservation. It has launched a comprehensive range of measures to make each flight as environment-friendly as possible, minimising fuel consumption, carbon emissions and noise levels; using recyclable materials on board; having a modern waste management system; and reducing the weight of aircraft through a variety of measures that go so far as to cut down on the weight of magazines carried on board.

Acting Head of Engineering, D.A.G. Jayasuriya, said: "The arrival of newer aircraft will further enhance the overall punctuality of our fleet and bring about greater fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs."

The SriLankan fleet now comprises 13 aircraft – four A320’s, four twin-engined widebody A330’s, and five four-engined long-haul A340’s.

The aircraft arrived on 23rd March. It is currently being repainted with the SriLankan Airlines livery and undergoing a maintenance check at SriLankan Engineering’s hangar complex at Colombo ’s Bandaranaike International Airport .

The A320’s are used mainly for SriLankan’s services to India , Pakistan and the Maldives , and some cities in the Middle East .

The newly acquired aircraft is on lease from AWAS of Ireland on a three-year contract. It is just two years old, and replaces one of the older aircraft that the airline had on lease.