SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on September 1, 2024

by Capt Elmo Jayawardena

In the mid 40’s Sir John Kotelawala spearheaded a team that planned to start an airline in Ceylon. They first purchased three second-hand DC-3 Dakota aeroplanes and recruited flight crew and engineers plus other key people to commence operations for a new airline. They named the fledgling company Air Ceylon and christened the three aeroplanes after Lankan Queens, Viharamaha Devi, Seetha Devi and Sunethra Devi.

The initial operation was restricted to charter flights and the first scheduled trip took off on December 10, 1947 departing Ratmalana and flying to Jaffna and onward to Madras. The return flight took the same route via Jaffna to Ratmalana.

That December day in 1947, the National Carrier commenced scheduled passenger flying covering domestic and regional airports.

Years rolled by and the airline grew and in its infancy sought partnerships with bigger airlines to code share and fly to distant destinations. ANA, KLM, BOAC and UTA became partners of Air Ceylon in commercial flying operations. Such partnerships had their trickles of sweet-scented moments and benefits for a selected few. But the overall picture was cloud filled and turbulent to us Lilliputians of aviation. We survived, often exploited, but survived.

Air Ceylon bought its own jet plane, a Trident, in 1969 and flew with local crew except for two expatriate captains.

The swan’s song for Air Ceylon came in 1979, when Air Lanka took over the mantle as the National Career and started operations.

Two second-hand Boeing 707s were used at the inception of Air Lanka. The inaugural flight took off on September 1, 1979 from Katunayake – destination Bangkok.

Singapore Airlines handled a major part of staff training for the new company. They signed a management contract till the local administrators found their feet to take over the new airline. Fleet expansions took place adding Lockheed Tristars and a Boeing 737. Then the company took a giant step when they leased two Boeing 747’s that belonged to Qantas Airways. Air Lanka was flying high, right-on track to compete and share the sky with other luminous airlines. They were the eagles in flight. But we too were climbing to be part of the hit parade of jet aeroplanes crisscrossing the airways.

It was in the 80s that the cookie began to crumble. That was the time the storm clouds started gathering to swallow the whole country in an ethnic conflict. It affected the airline in an almost uncontrollable catastrophe. The worst was when a Lockheed Tristar boarding passengers to fly to Male was blown-up on the Katunayake tarmac. Seventeen people died and many others were seriously injured. The aircraft broke into two. It was undoubtedly the blackest day in the history of the National Carrier. Everything was in shambles. Hundreds of bookings got canceled and the planes were flying almost empty. Passengers were frightened to fly with Air Lanka.

If ever there was a reason to think of shutting down the Airline, that was it. But everyone from the Chairman to the lowest minion angrily fought back. It was a time to grit their teeth and collectively commit themselves to save their beloved company. The probability of closing down Air Lanka was never considered as a viable option.

How the National Carrier survived in the aftermath of a bomb blasted aircraft and a totally tarnished reputation is indeed an exemplary lesson for all of us. Especially to those who vociferously demand the closing of the airline today. Those who make this negative clarion call perhaps may be the ones who made bad decisions for the airline’s downfall.

After the tarmac carnage it took a long time for Air Lanka to crawl back to some semblance of normalcy. But it did. Amid the flames of a raging internal strife that divided the country, UL flew back into the sky, and fought for its rightful place as the national carrier of Sri Lanka.

The operating aeroplanes changed from Boeing and Tristars to a modern ‘fly-by-wire’ glass cockpit Airbus fleet. The transition commenced in 1992.

With the name change that came about in 1998, Air Lanka was obliterated from existence and the new name SriLankan Airlines got displayed everywhere. This was the Emirates era where the Middle Eastern giant took over the control of the National Carrier along with a code share agreement and a binding management contract.

The question always loomed whether we lost or won with these two marriages with major airlines, SIA and Emirates? The decisions were solely made by the powers that were in the ruling seats. Toss a coin and call for the answer. Your guess is as good as mine to figure out who did what to whom?

Air Ceylon became Air Lanka and then changed labels to SriLankan Airlines.

Whatever the name may be, it is our proud National Carrier we are talking about. The three DC-3s and the two Boeing 707s were what we started with in 1947 and 1979. From there the airline grew to a fleet expansion of 29 jets. Today with Corona troubles and the slippery slopes of political instability, the fleet is down to 22 planes. Who is to be blamed? Let’s toss that coin again. But this time I will make a call. The unbelievable financial losses Sri Lankan is currently saddled with has nothing to do with the proletariat employee. He and she sweated and toiled with commitment to keep the flag flying. The blame directly lies on much higher echelons. The ones who were and the ones who are and the ones who will come climbing the corrupted political ladders to hammer the final nails on the National Carrier’s battered coffin.

I must categorically state here that all those in high places are not guilty of the National Carrier’s current financial dilemma. There are and there were always leaders with sterling qualities who did their best for the airline. But let’s consider the other side of the coin. There are lots of caps fitting those who ruined the National Carrier. ‘Shameless and blameless’ they brought the airline down. We all know whom those caps fit. We also know who their Godfathers were who sinned in silence watching the requiem of a proud and beautiful airline.

Let me change track and live to fly another day.

Yes, people often talk about UL’s flight delays. Every airline has delays. This ‘usually late’ proverbial black mark is a recurring decimal. It happens, but it happens in the best of airlines. Major carriers have big fleets to substitute for delayed flights. The UL fleet flies ‘back-to-back’ and keeps a tight schedule to maximize aeroplane utility. That is when a delay causes a ‘domino effect’ and disrupts many flights. This cannot be avoided. The silver line then is how best these delays are handled minimizing passenger frustrations.

Never mind the ‘Usually Late’ label. How about the ‘Always Safe’ label? That is a proud record for our National Carrier. Not a single fatality from December 1947 to date, a long 76-year-old track record where the National Carrier did not kill a single passenger. The bomb-blast lost lives, but that was not a flying incident.

Can you think of any airline that has roamed the sky for more than seven decades and stayed ‘lily white’ as we did?

Yes, the voices are heard ‘loud and clear’ and that too from high pedestals that the National Carrier should be shut down. It is purely a case of ‘cutting your nose to spite your face’ kind of action. The National Carrier is of paramount importance to an island country like ours. An independent country requires a national carrier as it is a symbol of being independent. Currently we are turning every possible stone to improve tourism and get more visitors. We need aeroplanes to bring them. Take a lesson from Iberian Airways, how they brought tourists to Spain. Or ask Singapore how 15 million tourists visit Singapore every year. SIA is a leading airline, and they fly a big slice of Singapore’s tourist traffic.

Closing the airline will not affect anyone who is trying to close the airline. That I know for sure. It will mostly be a direct hit on the 5,500 staff in all levels of UL who are in no way responsible for the losses made by the airline. The need then is for capable non-political leadership for the National Carrier. The people of Lanka must believe that the ‘Taste of Paradise’ is not lost, it is simply misplaced. Of course it needs a determined collective effort to find it.

Come September, the leadership of the land may have new names and new faces heading the Diyawanna Oya Parade.

Let us hope sanity will prevail and the airline that is ailing today will be resurrected to its full potential sans the tomfoolery of the so-called wizards. They often come with political labels but without a clue how to run and maintain a worthy airline

If the truth be told, we have seen enough of this comedy.

elmojay1@gmail.com