Helitours
Airline of Sri Lanka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helitours is a domestic airline in Sri Lanka operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force with aircraft not required for military use. It is currently the second-largest airline in Sri Lanka with a fleet of 16 aircraft behind SriLankan Airlines' 23. The airline once ran a RML-TRR-JAF route on a thrice-weekly basis on their Chinese-built Xian MA60 aircraft. The company slogan is Discover Serendipity. In May 2018, Helitours flights were suspended due to regulatory concerns.[1] As of November 2023, Helitours is not operating any scheduled services.[2]
History
Helitours' air service was started in 1972 on the initiative of Air Chief Marshal Deshamanya Paddy Mendis to cater to the tourist industry. By the end of 1972 Helitours was flying to Malé as well. In 1973 a Convair 440 was purchased second hand from Eastern Airlines, to boost Helitours' operations between Ceylon and the Maldives.
In the early 1980s operations first slowed, then stopped due to operational requirements emerging from the onset of the Sri Lankan civil war. During the civil war, the air force provided civil air transport to Jaffna, but this was not considered to be a Helitours operation. However, in 2009 upon cessation of hostilities, the air force restarted Helitours' operations. In 2022, it was reported that Helitours had been skirting Sri Lankan civil aviation insurance requirements by operating scheduled passenger services under military callsigns. Ending this practice, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka gave certificates of airworthiness to some of the airline's aircraft. However, commercial operations would not restart until insurance was purchased.[3] As of November 2023, neither scheduled services nor civilian transport on military fights are available.
Destinations
All flights are suspended as of November 2023.
| [H] | Primary Hub |
| ‡ | Secondary hub |
| [F] | Future destination |
| [T] | Terminated destination |
| City | Country | IATA | ICAO | Airport | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ampara |  Sri Lanka | GOY | VCCG | Ampara Airport | |
| Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | ACJ | VCCA | Anuradhapura Airport | |
| Batticaloa | Sri Lanka | BTC | VCCB | Batticaloa Airport | |
| Colombo | Sri Lanka | RML | VCCC | Ratmalana Airport[H] | |
| Hambantota | Sri Lanka | HRI | VCRI | Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport‡ | |
| Jaffna | Sri Lanka | JAF | VCCJ | Jaffna Airport | |
| Killinochchi | Sri Lanka | - | - | Iranamadu Airport | |
| Malé |  Maldives | MLE | VRMM | Velana International Airport[T] | |
| Trincomalee | Sri Lanka | TRR | VCCT | China Bay Airport | |
| Vavuniya | Sri Lanka | - | VCCV | Vavuniya Airport | |
| Hambantota | Sri Lanka | WRZ | VCCW | Weerawila Airport | |
| Koggala | Sri Lanka | KCT | VCCK | Koggala Airport |
Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers (Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell 412 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| Bell 212 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| Bell 206 JetRanger | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| Harbin Y-12 | 4 | 0 | 17 | |
| Mil Mi-17 | 3 | 0 | 24 | |
| Xian MA60 | 2[4] | 0 | 47 | |
| Antonov AN-32 | 1 | 0 | 45 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 |
Fleet history
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell 206 | - | - | |
| Convair 440 | 1973 | 1980 | |
| De Havilland DH.104 Dove | - | - | |
| Douglas DC-3 | - | - |
