SriLankan Airlines is currently discussing with Germany's Lufthansa Technik to set up a joint venture to carry out repair and maintenance work for narrow-body aircrafts such as Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 in Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA).

According to SriLankan Chief Executive, the proposed MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility is expected to earn annual revenue of US $ 100 million by carrying out over 110 repairs. The facility will have four hangers and is planned to commence on July, 2014.

"The investment will be US $ 14 million. What we are trying to do is to leverage Lufthansa's expertise. The majority of the investment will be borne by them," Chandrasena said.

The facility is expected to employ 400 people.

Chandrasena also said SriLankan will be commissioning a new flight simulator for Airbus A320 within the next couple of weeks. The airline already has an A320 flight simulator. (IS)