The state should continue to run Srilankan Airlines: Poll

The latest nationwide survey conducted by research firm TNS Lanka, for business magazine LMD, reveals that the majority of people believe that the country’s national carrier should continue to be run by the state.

The magazine notes: “Nearly three-quarters of those polled are of the view that the state should continue to run Sri Lanka’s national carrier, with some among them asserting that ‘if the Government operates it properly, it can earn huge profits.’ A minority (13%) of respondents disagree, claiming that such a move would only prove to be an added burden on the country.”

According to LMD, however, close to five-in-10 of those surveyed believe that SriLankan Airlines has been poorly managed in the past, while 34% are unsure about this and a further 18% disagree.

Almost half of the survey respondents (48%) do not believe that private sector ownership will benefit the airline, whereas only 31% disagree and 21% are unsure.

Loss-making the national carrier maybe, but two-thirds of the sample population say that SriLankan Airlines is amongst the best in Asia, while only 18% disagree. The remaining 15% are sitting on the fence, LMD notes.

 “Among the measures that should be taken to revive the airline’s financial viability, the appointment of experts to manage it, and reducing corruption and wastage, are among the pointers made by poll participants,” a spokesperson for Media Services, LMD’s publisher, observes. 

The latest edition of the pioneering business magazine has been released to leading supermarkets and bookstores in Colombo and the outstations. Its July Cover Story features an exclusive analysis of Great Workplaces in Sri Lanka (for the full story log onto www.lmd.lk).