The Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation today has taken a stand saying , if all SriLankan Airlines pilots leave the country for greener pastures, the government will get foreign pilots to run the national carrier.
Worth mentioning, last month, two Sri Lankan airlines sought permission to hire foreign pilots , as per the island nation's Civil Aviation Authority. P. A. Jayakantha, Director General and CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority also acknowledged that SriLankan Airlines and Fits Air have a serious shortage of pilots.
SriLankan has 24 aircraft , out of which only 17 are operational. Two are in the hanger, and the other five can’t operate because of the shortage of pilots. SriLankan airlines offer low salaries compared to top airlines like Emirates.
However , Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MP Dayasiri Jayasekera says ,
"Emirates pays about 10,000 dollars; we pay about 7,900 dollars. Pilots have been demanding an increment, starting in 2020 , For some reason, the Minister and top management of SriLankan is trying to drive away local pilots. We don’t need to pay these pilots Emirates rates; just address their concerns. SriLankan management wanted to recruit foreigners, but no one has come due to low salaries and taxes."
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Last month , Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva had blamed the attitude of the pilots for the mess,
“We had 316 pilots when we had 26 planes, and there was no problem. Now there are 15 planes and 266 pilots. There is no shortage of pilots; the problem is that the pilots have no dedication to their duty. Recently, there was an issue with a flight to South Korea. There were 20 pilots who could have operated the plane, but none of them wanted to.”
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva also said those who have no love for the country might leave it for better foreign employment opportunities and this scenario is common with doctors, engineers and other professionals.
“It is common everywhere else in the world. They may be getting higher pay elsewhere. If they go to Dubai or Singapore their house rent is high, their children’s school fees are high, and their living expenses are high. But they will not live comfortably as they do in Sri Lanka."
"A doctor in London would get 5,000 pounds per month whereas in Sri Lanka they get only Rs.150,000 and domestic workers would earn Rs.150,000 in the Middle East, whilst they get only Rs.75,000 here. We still have 216 pilots remaining in hand. If all the pilots are leaving, then we will get foreign pilots to run,” the Minister said responding to a question as to what measures the government has taken to prevent the exodus of pilots."
Aviation Minister made these tough remarks to the media at the first ever Sri Lanka Aviation Day - July 14, 2023, themed ‘Rebuilding the Skies – Positioning Sri Lanka Aviation for Growth’, which was organised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) in collaboration with International Air Transport Authority (IATA) .
“Restructuring SriLankan Airlines is a necessity. We spend USD 150 million annually to run our national carrier. When the pandemic hit the world the entire aviation industry was badly affected. Airplanes were grounded for months, and this was a world scenario. The media in Sri Lanka does not understand this. They always say we are failing."
In the same forum , the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged Sri Lanka to develop an aviation blueprint so as to generate greater economic growth and prosperity through having a stronger aviation industry.
Philip Goh, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific said,
“Aviation connectivity can play a much bigger role in Sri Lanka’s economic development and social advancement. But this will not happen by chance. Government support will be critical to growing a strong airline sector and developing Colombo as an aviation hub."
"We urge the government and all industry stakeholders to collaborate on developing an aviation blueprint to strengthen the aviation industry’s competitiveness and bring greater prosperity to Sri Lanka. And IATA stands ready to support through our expertise and sharing of industry best practices.”
On the other hand , the Pilots of SriLankan Airlines allege that they have been left in the lurch as a result of a spate of decisions by the management of the national carrier, compelling them to be overworked.
The Pilots of SriLankan Airlines also say that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pilots’ salaries were approximately lowered by 50 per cent, claiming that at present however, despite all other departments in the Airline being given increments and ex-gratia (bonus) payments the Pilots are yet to receive a substantial part of their contractually due salary package which was in place before the Covid-19 outbreak.
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