SriLankan Air Taxi (SLAT) is owned by flag carrier SriLankan Airlines (Airways, February 2005 November 1999). Operations began early in 2004 with a Cessna 208 Caravan amphibian leased from a Turkish operator. However, after two DHC-3 Turbo Otters (a floatplane and a landplane) were added (Airways, February 2005), services were suspended in June 2007 when Sri Lanka's protracted civil conflict with LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) terrorists escalated. But following the 30-year ethnic war's conclusion in May 2009, with a comprehensive victory for Sri Lankan forces, a new era of peace and prosperity appeared to be finally dawning over this long-troubled country. As tourist arrivals began to surge, along with massive infrastructure development using foreign monetary aid and expertise-not least construction of a new international airport, seaport, and other major industrial projects mainly concentrated in the south of the island-SriLankan Airlines judged that the time was ripe to reinstate air taxi operations with, for the first time, twin-engine floatplanes.
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