SriLankan Airlines’ New Board of Directors assume duties

SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka which is also one of the member of the oneworld alliance, is being led by the newly appointed Board of Directors effective from 29th March 2018.

Accordingly, Mr. Ranjith Fernando, a veteran banker and a public servant has been appointed as the Chairman. The other members of the Board are Mr. Mano Tittawella, Mr. Susantha Katugampala, Dr. Roshen Perera, and Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy.

A new board of directors to SriLankan Airlines has been finalised and expected to be appointed next week with a former banker tipped to be appointed chairman, airline sources said.

They said that the delay in the appointment of a new board after the current board chaired by Ajith Dias, agreed to step down on November 30 to help in the restructure of the airline, was also due to last month’s elections and a new minister (Lakshman Kirella) being appointed to the Ministry of Public Enterprise. Mr. Kiriella told Parliament on Thursday that the Government was still looking for a foreign partner to come on board with a 49 per cent stake.

In the year 2008 Emirates Airlines has withdrawn not renew its management contract with Sri Lanka's national carrier after the month of March. Emirates owned a 43% stake in Sri Lankan Airlines and ran it under an agreement with the Sri Lankan government. The pull-out announcement came after a row over ticketing between the chief executive of Sri Lankan Airlines and the Sri Lankan government in December. 2007.

The sad and shocking state of SriLankan airlines was revealed recently by Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne. Deputy Minister said that the airline which recorded a profit of Rs. 4.4 billion in 2008, took an appalling nosedive having recorded a whopping loss amounting to Rs. 107 billion, since then.