New directors openly admit they have no Aviation experience - and then talk a bunch of 'Big Talk'.

No mention of any investigations. Perhaps some journalists should ask them about that.


Seems to me they've already tried to cancel this order previously - and failed.
Same with the expensive leases.

Most likely explanation is the A350 order is another contract with no termination clause. Why isn't this being investigated? And who pocketed the Commissions on this order ($50 million +).?

With 3 'white tail' A350s still sitting in Toulouse from the previous order fiasco - the only thing they're going to get from airbus is 'the finger' imho.

Serious safety lapses in SriLankan’s Maintenance Dept

When EK was managing UL it was an "airline" with EASA certification and proper ETOPS...now it is a typical GOSL department and running like CTB

The cat is out of the bag then why the NEO fleet lost ETOPS

Generally everyone on a supervisory board doesn't need industry specific (e.g. aviation) experience, but they need to be competent and able to make quick and sound decisions. E.g. replacing top management if they don't perform and actually holding them accountable for their KPIs/targets. Not holding my breath that this will happen though lol.

all these bastards are so corrupted...insane..freaking looters...the airline has already gone to the dogs.

The '3 year turn around' is a very attractive catchphrase to incoming UL management. The last lot promised a 3 year turn around 3 years ago and UL is in a worser mess now. Do they seriously think people will forget or there will be an even worser financial misappropriation in 3 years time elsewhere so no one is going to be bothered in what happens in UL?

Unfortunately in Sri Lanka labour laws are so convoluted...you cannot fire anyone...so management won't changed or fired or held responsible for KPI...they are even unable to fire Gota appointed security guy and deadwood Manoj...so what is basically happening is this clown show (I think this take 3 or 4) and year 3 they will go back to treasury for an another hand out...in return treasury will go back to IMF for an another handout...IMF will conditions for the loan and all so called educated crazies in Sri Lanka will shout against IMF...cycle continues

Looking at the board composition, I think they have come to the realisation the importance of debt rationalisation in the airline above everything else. No matter what operational efficiencies you gain, if cost of debt servicing is going to be more than operational profits, you still have an un viable airline. Hence they have put together a team of bankers in the hope they may be able to re-organise the balance sheet before they can have another pitch at seeking a suitable fool to take over this entity. Whether or not they are going to be able to do this, what amazes me the most is why wasn't this attempted before they went looking for a partner and embarrassed themselves?. Even this board with all their financial accolades don't seem to have any insight into this airline. I cannot believe the rhetoric is still " this is a national asset , end of Sri lankan airlines is the end of tourism industry in Sri Lanka".They, just like all the others before them are going to "stick" to their brief and waste time and more money on a fruitless task of trying to flog a dead horse. The cowardly government in the mean time are going to fund their non-sense through the public purse to further their political survival not wanting to be accused of grounding this airline. The hapless uninformed public ?..well good luck to them. They are still waiting for the messiah to come and rescue them from ever rising inflation. Not going to happen!

Hopefully Gov will select someone for CEO & COO with the strong aviation management skills. Any possibility These directors could remove excess staff and renegotiate the aircraft leases

The board will have to appoint someone with strong business turnaround skills, preferably with an aviation background to have any decent chance at this. But those people are a few and not cheap may not even want to work with this airline. Instead they are going to play with that report from Nyras and find out it is un workable in a country like SL. As for the leases ...? well since the airline has no other assets to mitigate or re organise it with , the only option is to threaten the lessors with liquidation. But this may not work either as god knows what security they have and even if they don`t they may in turn threaten to sue the owner which is a deep pocketed government. Had this airline been allowed to fail most of these issues would have sorted themselves out and if there was any residual value left that would have also been captured by a new entity and/or owners and built back up again. That`s how the real world works.

There is no way out of this mess.

Changing a few people at the top makes no difference.

Layoffs will not make any difference (not that I expect this to happen).

Even the most basic investigation - see who signed these lease contracts on behalf of SriLankan - hasn't taken place to the best of my knowledge.


There is a deadline of 'April' to sort this out or shut it down - the IMF has made this very clear to the GOSL. The GOSL is not allowed to put anymore money into SriLankan.

Shut down is inevitable - it will happen the next time the GOSL needs another bailout from the IMF.

4R-ABP has done the test flight as UL8 at AUH yesterday. It must have been completed most of the end of lease checks.

Thomas Cook Airlines UK in October 2018 and January 2019 plans to operate charter service to Sri Lanka, with 1 flight each from London Gatwick and Manchester planned, on board Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

London Gatwick – Colombo
MT3748 LGW2020 – 1125+1CMB 332 17OCT18
MT3748 LGW2125 – 1315+1CMB 332 10JAN19

MT3749 CMB1425 – 2125LGW 332 18OCT18
MT3749 CMB0115 – 0740LGW 332 11JAN19

Manchester – Colombo
MT3702 MAN2045 – 1205+1CMB 332 17OCT18
MT3702 MAN2210 – 1415+1CMB 332 09JAN19

MT3703 CMB1505 – 2220MAN 332 18OCT18
MT3703 CMB1715 – 2355MAN 332 10JAN19

Source:Routes on line

Apparently they have already begun flights to CMB. A friend of mine who flew this airline three weeks ago only had good things to say.

What is the destination of the Thomas Cook flight have begun operating from CMB? Which aircraft operated this route?