Fuel Shortage Forces Lankan Planes to Make Short-Haul Trips to India for Refueling

#Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (#TRV) in South India welcomed two #SriLankan Airlines Airbus #A330 flights in the last two days. While widebody landings at TRV aren't uncommon, SriLankan flying its larger jets to this close airfield is unprecedented. So, what has changed recently, forcing Lankan wide-body commercial aircraft to make short-haul trips to India?

SriLankan Airlines operates a daily flight from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (#TRV) to Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. The route, however, is 366 kilometres only and is usually served by the carrier's Airbus A320s. Widebody jets are also not uncommon at the airport. Emirates has been flying its Boeing 777-300ER to Thiruvananthapuram on a daily basis for years. TRV, on the other hand, got SriLankan Airlines' Airbus #A330 jets on May 27th and 28th, something that hasn't happened in recent memory, if ever. Given the distance between the two cities and the number of passengers expected, a narrowbody aircraft appears to be enough. So, why did the airline send its larger planes to the location?

The underlying cause is Sri Lanka's recent #economic #crisis, which has resulted in a fuel shortage. Some of SriLankan's long-haul flights appear to be stranded at #Colombo Airport due to a lack of fuel. The carrier has chosen Thiruvananthapuram Airport as its refuelling and crew change point for several of its long-distance routes, according to The New Indian Express. This arrangement included the two flights on Friday and Saturday. Flight #UL553 from Colombo to Frankfurt (4R-ALR) landed in the early morning hours of May 27th at TRV before departing at 03:56 for its final destination. Another #SriLankan #A330 (4R-ALN) arrived at the airport the next day, this time heading for Melbourne. Unlike the flight to Frankfurt, the flight to Melbourne had to fly backwards to TRV before being refuelled for Australia. (Coutesy: #FlightRadar24)

The jet-fuel shortage has not, however, hampered all of SriLankan's long-haul flights. Its daily service to London (UL503) has been operating nonstop as usual, and the flight to Melbourne on May 29th sailed south without refuelling. Since the crisis began, India has been a key supplier of fuel to Sri Lanka, and the airline is able to satisfy its daily fuel needs for the most part. But, according to a source at Thiruvananthapuram Airport, more SriLankan flights are expected to land there for #refuelling in the coming days, so these rare detours may not be over yet.