SriLankan Airlines Expands Fleet with First New Wide-Body Aircraft in Seven Years, ET TravelWorld
International
2 min read
SriLankan Airlines inducts first wide-body aircraft in seven years, signals fleet expansion
SriLankan Airlines has added an Airbus A330-200 to its fleet—the first wide-body aircraft acquisition in seven years. The aircraft arrived from Paris with a ceremonial fly-past and touched down at Bandaranaike International Airport. The addition takes the fleet size to 23 and underscores the airline's strategy to enhance long-haul capacity amid growing international travel demand.
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Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
SriLankan Airlines Expands Fleet with First New Wide-Body Aircraft in Seven Years, ET TravelWorld
International 2 min read SriLankan Airlines inducts first wide-body aircraft in seven years, signals fleet expansion SriLankan Airlines has added an Airbus A330-200 to its fleet—the first wide-body aircraft acquisition in seven years. The aircraft arrived from Paris with a ceremonial fly-past and touched down at Bandaranaike International Airport. The addition takes the fleet size to 23 and underscores the airline's strategy to enhance long-haul capacity amid growing international travel demand.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
PM Modi unveils ₹48,520 crore infrastructure projects in Bihar ahead of assembly elections
In a major infrastructure push ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections , Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated, laid the foundation stone, and dedicated development projects worth over ₹48,520 crore during his visit to Karakat on Friday. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary were also present at the event. The projects, spanning the power, road, and rail sectors, are aimed at accelerating the state's infrastructure and economic growth. Among the key announcements was the foundation stone laying for the Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project , Stage-II, in Aurangabad district. With an investment of ₹29,930 crore, it is expected to enhance energy security, generate employment, and provide affordable electricity to Bihar and eastern India. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for multiple road projects, including the Four-Laning of Patna–Arrah–Sasaram, Six-Laning of the Varanasi–Ranchi–Kolkata highway , and the construction of a new Ganga bridge between Buxar and Bharauli. He inaugurated the Four-Laning of the Patna–Gaya–Dobhi highway for Rs.5,520 crore and the elevated highway upgrades in Gopalganj highway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is on a two day visit to Bihar on Thursday advised BJP leaders in Patna to strengthen the party's outreach at the booth level and take its narrative directly to the grassroots. In the rail sector, he dedicated the third rail line between Son Nagar and Mohammad Ganj, built at a cost of over Rs.1,330 crore, aimed at decongesting routes and improving freight movement. Additionally, he will be laying the foundation stone for the new Harding Park Station in Patna, which will feature five terminals to improve passenger handling capacity and connectivity in the region. Live Events These announcements are seen as part of a broader strategy to appeal to voters through rapid development, with Bihar's elections drawing closer. A day earlier, on Thursday, the Prime Minister inaugurated the new passenger terminal at Patna Airport, developed at a cost of Rs1,200 crore, with an annual capacity of 1 crore passengers. He also laid the foundation stone for a new civil enclave at Bihta Airport, worth Rs 1,410 crore, which will serve the growing educational hub housing IIT Patna and the proposed NIT Patna campus.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- The Hindu
France's Emmanuel Macron calls for world order 'based on law' in Vietnam
France's President Emmanuel Macron called in Vietnam on Monday (May 26, 2025) for the preservation of a world order "based on law", as he started a tour of Southeast Asia, a region caught up in the confrontation between the United States and China. During a press statement alongside his Vietnamese counterpart, Luong Cuong, in Hanoi, Mr. Macron said a rules-based order was necessary at "a time of both great imbalance and a return to power-driven rhetoric and intimidation." The President presented France as a reliable alternative for Vietnam, caught between Washington, which is threatening to impose enormous levies on its exports to the United States, and Beijing, an important trade partner with which it is also embroiled in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. After his arrival in Hanoi on Sunday (May 25, 2025), the first stop of a six-day trip that will take in Indonesia and Singapore, Mr. Macron emphasised a shared vision with Vietnam, a country of 100 million people experiencing stellar growth. On Monday (May 26, 2025), around a dozen agreements were signed between the two countries, including in the field of nuclear power, which Hanoi is keen to develop as it seeks to meet soaring energy demands. Budget airline Vietjet also announced an order for 20 widebody Airbus A330-900 planes, doubling its purchases of the model from the aviation giant in a deal worth an estimated $8 billion. "It is truly a new page being written between our two countries... a desire to write an even more ambitious page of the relationship between Vietnam and France, between ASEAN and the European Union," President Macron said. After paying tribute at a Hanoi war memorial to those who fought against French colonial occupation, President Macron met his counterpart, Vietnam President Luong Cuong. The French President later had lunch with Communist Party General Secretary, Tô Lâm, at the capital's star attraction, the Temple of Literature. Mr. Lâm is considered the most powerful leader in Vietnam, a one-party state that tolerates no dissent and moves quickly to suppress any criticism. Ahead of Mr. Macron's first official visit to the country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) pressed him to voice concerns about "the Vietnamese government's worsening rights record." 'Vietnam has more than 170 political prisoners who have been charged and convicted under 'draconian laws' that criminalise free expression and peaceful activism for human rights and democracy,' HRW said. A public appeal would be out of character for the French President, who regularly says he prefers to raise sensitive issues behind closed doors. Vietnam on 'front line' Mr. Macron hopes to sell Hanoi his offer of a "third way" between Washington and Beijing. "Vietnam is really on the front line of all the tensions that are growing in the South China Sea," a senior French diplomatic official told AFP. Hanoi shares Washington's concerns about Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the contested waterway, but it has close economic ties with its giant neighbour. Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46% tariff by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz. Mr. Macron's "Indo-Pacific strategy," which proposes a third way to the countries of the region, has gained new relevance owing to Trump's trade war, according to the aide. He said the President was "defending the idea of international trade rules, we don't want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails." Vietnam has been careful to follow its own balancing act between China and the United States. It has adopted a "bamboo diplomacy" approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world's major powers.
