ECONOMYNEXT – State-run Srilankan Airlines is making losses on 31 out of 45 routes it is operating based on the latest information made available, Harsha de Silva, chairman of the parliament’s Committee on Public Enterprises said.
SriLankan Airlines had lost 3.4 billion rupees by March 2025, de Silva told parliament.
Passenger revenues had fallen by 40 billion rupees and fuel costs were down by 23 billion rupees, he said.
SriLankan has had seen a contraction in its fleet.
SriLankan had 978 million dollars of liabilities and 51 billion rupees in domestic currency debt.
SriLankan also had to restructure a bond, where interest arrears had involved a total of around 200 million US dollars, de Silva said.
Srilankan had the option of downzing and eliminating some of the unprofitable routes or expanding by acquiring more aircraft, he said.
SriLankan had announced plans to lease 5 aircraft this year and next year and take the fleet up to 25, under a so-called ‘Hayleys Plan’, de Silva said.
SriLankan Airlines has cost the nations billions in losses as a state owned enterprise after then President Mahinda Rajapaksa ousted Emirates Airlines as managing shareholder and bought back the shares reversing a privatization.
Srilankan Airlines was the largest foreign carrier into India under Emirates, carrying Indians and feeding them to its network via Colombo and the virtual surrogate airline for the Maldives.
Emirates is now the largest foreign carrier into India. (Colombo/May25/2025)
