The mess in SriLankan Airlines is getting worse!

By Insider

We Sri Lankans were used to regularly hearing of the frolics of the former President’s brother-in-law Nishanthi Wickramasinghe. Often we used to see him in the newspapers flanked by SriLankan Airlines hostesses.

Though the Financial Times bravely many times exposed the excesses, nothing much happened. MPs Harsha de Silva and Ravi Karunanayake would often be heard in Parliament exposing the malpractices of the leadership at that time. 

The Board was packed with people like Sanath Ukwatte, Nihal Jayamanne PC and JKH Chief Susantha Rathnayake to give credibility to the transactions and the scandalous purchases of aircrafts. Aircrafts that were purchased by the Board were for 17 hours of flying. 

SriLankan Airlines had no landing rights to the USA or Canada or New Zealand to make use of such aircraft. But despite that, the aircrafts were endorsed by the Board and bought causing losses amounting to millions of US Dollars. The Board members who wanted free tickets said nothing but went along with the Chairman. 

While MP Johnston Fernando was arrested by the FCID for using Rs. 5 Million from a State institution for election propaganda, the ex-SriLankan Board members are still at large after squandering billions of rupees of the taxpayers’ money. 

When it was discovered in 2015 after President Sirisena assumed office that SriLankan Airlines had made a loss of over Rs. 60 billion for nine months of 2014, when our social welfare budget for a year was less than of the half of that loss, there was so much of anger vented on social media against the former regime. Many people expected the CEO, Chairman and the Board to be prosecuted for gross abuse of power and mismanagement within a few months. What happened instead, the entire saga got swept under the carpet. 

The Government appointed Prime Minister’s close friend Ajith Dias, a garment manufacturer, to lead the bankrupt airline. The Chairman had no experience or qualification whatsoever to run an airline making losses of billions, and, to make it worse, the Government appointed the brother of a former UNP Chairman who was responsible for the UNF Government’s downfall in 2004, an airline pilot, as CEO of the debt-ridden airline for a six-figure salary.

The impact of that decision has been disastrous for the airline. An airline pilot does not have the experience to turnaround a bankrupt airline. What the airline needed was another Harry Jayewardene or a Peter Hill to put the airline back into shape. 

To make matters worse, the majority of the Directors appointed to the Board had no experience whatsoever to give guidance to the management. All in all, it has been a disaster for the airline. 

Insiders say Rakitha Jayawardana did a much better job because he had airline management experience and should be brought back to supervise the inexperienced Ratwatte. The discipline of the airline under Ratwatte has gone from bad to worse. We hear of sex scandals in the cockpit, the CEO who believes he is untouchable as long as his brother is around, is either fighting the pilots or abusing them. Drunkard pilots, work to rule and closing down of routes are the order of the day.

The biggest problem the airline is facing today is due to the indecisiveness, lack of experience and incompetence of the Board. The majority on the Board have got appointed because of their connections to the Prime Minister. Insiders say the airline by now would have recovered if decisions were taken on time, the Minister was more assertive and people who knew the industry and finance experts were appointed. 

Insiders say the former CEO Kapila Chandrasena, the former Chairman and Board are getting away unscathed because of the connections they have either with the current Board or due to business connections. 

The President and the SLFP watch helplessly while the party goes on unchecked by the UNP-led Government. Analysts say if the Government is serious about resurrecting the airline, they at least now need to professionalise the Board and allow the Board to take decisions. 

The Finance Minister who claims that he cannot bridge the budget deficit as the owner of the airline must first fix the hole in the airline before he raises taxes in the country. The President who promised change should not watch helplessly; he needs to wake up and ensure his Government delivers what he promised. 

All Sri Lankans want to see the spectre of abuse and mismanagement becoming a thing of the past because the airline it is not the private property of the Chairman or the CEO. SriLankan Airlines belongs to the people of Sri Lanka.