The domestic carrier DP Aviation intends to rebrand as OCERA Airlines and expand into international operations, Hiru News reports.
Discussions on the transition were held recently between company representatives, an investment partner, and Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka Director General and Chief Executive Officer Captain Daminda Rambukwella, along with senior CAA officials.
The plan as stated
Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake would serve as the primary regional hub for scheduled domestic and international operations.
The proposed network centres on stronger links between Jaffna and India, with further routes across South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
On fleet, the company plans to introduce new Airbus A220 aircraft and grow to ten aircraft by 2030. It expects to create about 400 jobs across flight operations, pilots, cabin crew, engineering and ground handling.
What this would mean
Sri Lanka’s scheduled international market is dominated by SriLankan Airlines, with FitsAir the main privately held operator to have moved from cargo and charter work into scheduled flying. A domestic operator stepping up to an A220 fleet would be a materially different proposition from the turboprop and light-aircraft services that have characterised domestic aviation here.
The A220 choice is consistent with the stated network. It is a narrow-body of roughly 100 to 150 seats with the range to reach India, the Gulf and much of Southeast Asia from Colombo — too small for the trunk routes SriLankan flies with wide-bodies, but well matched to thinner regional city pairs.
The Jaffna–India emphasis is the notable part. It lands on the same day a British MP launched a petition for direct London–Jaffna flights — two separate proposals, from opposite ends, both treating northern connectivity as underserved. Indian carriers already operate to Jaffna from Chennai, so the route is proven; what is proposed here is a Sri Lankan operator competing on it.
Not reported
Hiru does not name the investment partner, give the size of the investment, or say whether financing is committed. It does not give a target date for the start of international operations or the rebrand.
Nor does it say what regulatory steps remain: DP Aviation holds a domestic Air Operator Certificate, and international scheduled operations require a different authorisation, which the report does not say has been granted or applied for. The discussions described are with the regulator, not a decision by it.
It gives no specific routes, no order or lease commitment for the A220s, no current fleet size, and no explanation of the OCERA name. No other verified newsroom had carried the announcement at the time of writing.
