Helitours upgrades fleet
The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) run commercial helicopter operation under Helitours was currently flying with new aircraft purchased mid last year.
The new fleet of helicopters were purchased mid last year for the SLAF and which would be used as and when required by Helitours, SLAF Spokesman Wing Commander Gihan Seneviratne told the Business Times. However, he refused to divulge the total fleet capacity of Helitours. He noted that the aircraft had seating capacity of upto 30 passengers and were tourism-friendly helicopters that could be used for inland travel.
Configuration on the aircraft could be changed to meet the requirements as per the numbers willing to travel on the aircraft and depending on the need for those using it, he explained. These brand new Russian aircraft would be used for flying tourists within the country, filming and other purposes and the demand for these would fluctuate depending on the traveler demand during the tourism peak season, Wing Commander Seneviratne said.
Helitours has aircraft that could land even on an unprepared runway allowing for easy accessibility to most locations around the island during the conduct of their operations, he explained. Helitours is the commercial air arm of the SLAF utilizes turbine engine aircraft for touring and equipped with twin-engines which further guarantees added safety to passengers, the Helitour website stated. The helicopter and fixed wing aircraft facilities meet the highest standards in the commercial tour industry in the country, it was pointed out.