New Sri Lanka low-cost airline will compete against the national carrier

FitsAir, which had so far been a cargo airline, started operations as a low-cost scheduled international passenger carrier on Wednesday as it took off from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport for Dubai. Formerly known as ExpoAir, the airline owned by Aberdeen Holdings is said to be the country’s first privately owned scheduled international passenger carrier. The low-cost carrier will be flying the Colombo-Dubai route three times a week and will also start thrice-weekly operations to Male in Maldives from October 10. FitsAir will also be flying to cities in south India, the first of which will be to Trichy in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, from October 28. FitsAir also marks the return of aviation veteran Peter Murray Hill to Sri Lanka as the vice president of passenger operations. Hill had earlier been the CEO of SriLankan Airlines while it was under the Emirates management, helming the airline from 1998 to 2007. He is famously credited to have steered the loss-making Sri Lankan Airlines towards profitability. However, his work permit was revoked in 2007, when he refused preferential treatment by not giving seats to the then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his 35-member entourage on a fully booked flight from London during their private visit. With over 50 years of experience in airlines, including British Airways, Oman Air and Gulf Air, Hill is also said to have played a major role in building Emirates to what it is today.<br/>