SriLankan to be made a profit-making venture

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne said that an independent team of professionals has been appointed to make a comprehensive study on the administrative structure and five-year plan of SriLankan Airlines.

“When the team of professionals hands over their report, I hope to restructure SriLankan Airlines and make it a viable profit-making venture, the Minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

At present SriLankan Airlines has 22 aircraft which includes six A 340 and seven A 330. Six A 340 aircraft used by SriLankan Airlines are nearly 15 years old and their fuel cost is very high.

Therefore, arrangements have been made to purchase six new A 330 aircraft when the lease agreements of six A 340 aircraft end.

The purchase of six A 330 aircraft would minimise our fuel cost to a large extent and we could conduct the same flight operations with low cost, the Minister said. “ However, we are proud that even today, SriLankan Airlines amidst various hardships is preserving Sri Lanka’s identity. Today there is competitiveness within the airline industry.”

“We have to compete with Middle Eastern countries as they have new aircraft with sophisticated facilities. Our fleet should also be brought to that standard and we are now concentrating on that.”

Minister Jayaratne said SriLankan Airlines had earned an income of US$ 546.6 million by the end of the third quarter of 2013.

It earned US$ 71.88 million from cargo handling. SriLankan Airlines had handled 3.2 million passenger movements by the end of the third quarter of 2013.