ILFC and SriLankan Airlines sign 12-year lease for three A350-900 aircraft

The International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), a wholly owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc announced this week that it has signed a 12-year lease agreement with national carrier SriLankan Airlines for three A350-900 aircraft. The aircraft will support the airline’s long-haul fleet renewal.

“ILFC values our strong and important relationship with SriLankan,” ILFC Chief Executive Officer Henri Courpron, said in a statement issued from Los Angeles. “We look forward to contributing to SriLankan’s fleet renewal and its continued success.”

SriLankan Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena said that this is the first time the A350 family aircraft will enter the national carrier’s fleet and marks a significant step towards the growth of the airline.

The airline has placed direct orders for four additional A350-900 aircraft with Airbus, and the airline CEO said he believed that this new generation, fuel-efficient aircraft will play a leading role in the airline’s long-haul operations in time to come.

The A350-900s are powered by RollsRoyce Trent XWB-84 and are part of an operating lease agreement, which has an anticipated delivery timeline between July and September 2016. ILFC currently has two A330-200s and one A340-300 on lease with SriLankan.