President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has urged SriLankan Airlines to take bold steps toward profitability by actively seeking new investments and implementing stronger management strategies.
This directive was given during a meeting held on April 8 at the Presidential Secretariat, where the President met with senior officials of SriLankan Airlines to review the airline’s current performance and explore viable paths toward financial recovery.
At the discussion, extensive attention was paid to both short-term and long-term measures to manage the airline’s significant debt. While the President acknowledged that SriLankan Airlines maintains operational profitability, he noted that historical mismanagement and poor decision-making had placed the airline among the top loss-making state-owned enterprises.
President Dissanayake emphasized that SriLankan must not only focus on cost controls but should also look outward to attract strategic investments that can strengthen its competitiveness and revenue streams. He instructed officials to pursue all available options to transform SriLankan into a truly profitable national carrier.
The current government has reversed the previous administration’s plan to privatize the airline. Instead, it has committed to continuing SriLankan Airlines as a fully state-owned enterprise—operated under restructured management with a focus on efficiency, accountability, and long-term sustainability.
Joining the President at the meeting were Minister of Labor and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Senior Advisor to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, SriLankan Airlines Chairman Sarath Ganegoda, and several senior executives from the airline.
The meeting marks a renewed commitment by the government to revive SriLankan Airlines as a national asset, capable of contributing to the country’s economy rather than draining it.
