Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva says that even if all the pilots leave, the Sri Lankan Airlines will continue to operate by recruiting foreign pilots.
He also said that in the restructuring of Sri Lankan Airlines, the investor will be given full opportunity to take administrative decisions of the company.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, who further commented,
Due to the Covid crisis, the air services of the entire world were disrupted. Because of that, many planes had to be grounded. As a result, many people lost their jobs. We did not do that in the Sri Lanka Airlines. We kept those pilots with 50% salary. In the time of Covid, about 70 pilots of Kuwait Airlines were removed as their flights could not fly.
A group of 260 pilots still remain in Sri Lanka. They may claim a huge salary if they move to Dubai or Singapore. But the cost of living in those countries is high. Compare that too. Such factors are also affected. We are inviting applications for new pilots. But some people want to stay in this country. “But if they leave, new pilots will be recruited from foreign countries and the airline will continue to operate,” the minister emphasized.
Because of such attitude most people are now abandoning their own national carrier and opted to fly in different air lines