Saturday Mar 14, 2026
Saturday Mar 14, 2026
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| Govt. to keep - Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe - Pic by Upul Abayasekara |
By Charumini de Silva
The Government is committed to retaining SriLankan Airlines as the country’s national carrier, while pursuing operational improvements and exploring a possible strategic partnership to revive the airline.
Responding to a question on the financial burden posed by the airline during a panel discussion at the LOLC Securities Forum last week, Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe acknowledged that the carrier has been a significant cost to the Government and the public but stressed that authorities believe Sri Lanka should maintain a national airline.
“The airline has been a huge burden to the Government and to the people of Sri Lanka, but our policy is that the country needs to have a national carrier,” he said.
He said the Government is currently working to improve the airline’s operational and financial performance as part of a structured recovery strategy.
According to Abeysinghe, the airline’s management has presented a three-year plan aimed at turning around operations, while the Government has allocated around Rs. 1 billion to support the revival process.
“We are looking at improving the operational performance of SriLankan Airlines because, at this point, the asset is very much undervalued,” he said.
He added that the Government may consider bringing in a partner in the future, particularly to support expansion and operational improvements, but emphasised that authorities are not willing to relinquish the national brand.
“We might go for an investment partnership, but we are not willing to lose the brand,” he said.
Abeysinghe noted that Sri Lanka’s status as an island nation makes direct international connectivity essential, and the national carrier plays a key role in maintaining those links.
“This is the only flight that still provides direct connectivity to certain destinations. Because SriLankan Airlines is flying directly, we still have some level of connectivity,” he said.
He said the Government also wants to safeguard the airline’s international landing slots, which are considered a strategic asset.
“We do not want to lose our slots in the world and compromise the national carrier,” he added.
Any future partnership would likely involve financial and operational support while allowing Sri Lanka to retain the national identity of the airline.
“It will most probably be a partner who can support financially and operationally while we continue to carry the brand and support tourism,” Abeysinghe said.
He added that strengthening the airline’s operations is essential before entering negotiations with potential partners.
“For us to negotiate strongly, we first need to make the operations stronger,” he said, noting that if the current strategy fails to deliver results, the Government may need to reconsider its approach.
