President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed the immediate appointment of a Presidential Secretariat-led committee to investigate corruption and irregularities at SriLankan Airlines. The directive was issued today (May 20) during a high-level meeting with the airline’s Board of Directors and representatives from all affiliated trade unions, held at the Presidential Secretariat.
The nearly four-hour-long discussion focused on the state-owned airline’s business plan and the government’s policy decision to retain its ownership, with the President stressing that the institution must be rebuilt from within without future reliance on Treasury funds.
“SriLankan Airlines must develop its own capacity to survive,” President Dissanayake declared, adding that the Treasury will no longer shoulder operational expenses. He underscored that in this year’s national budget, Rs. 20 billion was allocated to the airline, emphasizing that it was public money collected through taxes and must be used responsibly and transparently.
He urged full cooperation from all parties to transform SriLankan Airlines into a profitable enterprise, focusing on financial flow management and internal efficiency improvements. The President also pledged that the political leadership would do its part in addressing the broader economic crisis but insisted that the onus of rebuilding the airline lies with its own workforce.
Trade union representatives present at the meeting assured the President of their commitment to support the government’s goal of restoring SriLankan Airlines to financial health without compromising its state ownership.
Attendees included SriLankan Airlines Chairman Sarath Ganegoda, members of the airline’s Board of Directors, and representatives from various staff associations, including the Pilots’ Association, the Licensed Aircraft Engineers’ Association, the Aircraft Technicians’ Association, and the Executives’ Association, among others.
The meeting signals a major shift in both accountability and expectations for one of the country’s most financially challenged state-owned enterprises.
