Cinnamon Air
Airline of Sri Lanka
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Saffron Aviation, DBA Cinnamon Air is a Sri Lankan domestic airline, operating from a dedicated terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo to destinations around Sri Lanka. It commenced its daily scheduled operation in July 2013. Cinnamon Air's fleet consists of two Cessna 208 amphibious aircraft and one wheeled Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. Saffron Aviation (Pvt) Ltd. which manages Cinnamon Air is a joint venture between John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH), MMBL Leisure Holdings (Pvt) Ltd., and Phoenix Ventures Limited.[2] The company slogan is Wings of Sri Lanka.
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| Founded | 2012 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 2013 | ||||||
| Hubs | Bandaranaike International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 3 | ||||||
| Destinations | 10 | ||||||
| Parent company | John Keells Holdings (Saffron Aviation) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||||||
| Key people | Sean Dwight (Chief Executive Officer)[1] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Overview
All Cinnamon Air scheduled flights operate in code share with SriLankan Airlines. To further its relationship with the national carrier, one of Cinnamon Air's Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibians sports a SriLankan AirTaxi livery.
Cinnamon Air, owned and operated by Saffron Aviation (Pvt) Limited, is a joint venture between Sri Lanka's largest listed conglomerate, John Keells Holdings, MMBL Leisure Holdings (part of the Mercantile Merchant Bank Group) and Phoenix Ventures (parent of the Brandix Group, Sri Lanka's largest garment manufacturer). The airline is based out of Katunayake where it operates a dedicated domestic terminal (within the precincts of the BIA) and also has its own purpose-built hangar and maintenance facilities.[2]
Destinations
| [H] | Primary hub |
| [F] | Future destination |
| [T] | Terminated destination |
| City | Country | IATA | ICAO | Airport | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batticaloa |  Sri Lanka | BTC | VCCB | Batticaloa Airport | |
| Colombo | Sri Lanka | CMB | VCBI | Bandaranaike International Airport[H] | |
| Dickwella | Sri Lanka | DIW | - | Mawella Lagoon Airport | |
| Hambantota | Sri Lanka | HRI | VCRI | Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport | [3] |
| Hatton | Sri Lanka | NUF | - | Castlereigh Water Airport | |
| Jaffna | Sri Lanka | JAF | VCCJ | Jaffna International Airport | |
| Kandy | Sri Lanka | KDZ | - | Polgolla Reservoir | |
| Koggala | Sri Lanka | KCT | VCCK | Koggala Airport | |
| Nuwara Eliya | Sri Lanka | NUA | - | Lake Gregory Waterdrome | |
| Sigiriya | Sri Lanka | GIU | VCCS | Sigiriya Airport | |
| Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Colombo) | Sri Lanka | DWO | - | Diyawanna Oya | |
| Trincomalee | Sri Lanka | TRR | VCCT | China Bay Airport | |
| Bentota | Sri Lanka | BJT | - | Bentota River Airport |
Codeshare agreements
Cinnamon Air has a codeshare agreement with SriLankan Airlines.
Fleet
The three aircraft below have been in service with the airline since 2012.[4]
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers (economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 208 | 2 | - | 8 |
|
| Cessna 208B Grand Caravan | 1 | - | 8 |
|
| Total | 3 | - |
Accidents and incidents
On 7 January 2025, a Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian aircraft, registered 4R-CAE and operated by Cinnamon Air, plunged into Lake Gregory in Nuwara Eliya while attempting to land at the nearby Lake Gregory Waterdrome. No passengers were on board and the two pilots were injured but rescued safely.[5][6]