UL flight attendants give rare dressing down to SL Tourism Chairperson

The Flight Attendants Union of SriLankan Airlines yesterday expressed their dismay at the request made by the Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism Kimarli Fernando to do away with the requirement that fully vaccinated flight crew wear PPEs.

Union President, Sidath Dedigama has in a letter to Fernando, said that they are perturbed and disheartened by the “extremely irresponsible” request she made to the Director General of Health Services by way of the letter ref: SLTDA/CHA/391.

“At the onset we wish to state in no uncertain terms that the FAU as a responsible Union will take all measures, lawfully available, to protect the crew, the general public and specifically the passengers and the children under the age of 12 who are not vaccinated that you are callously attempting to place in grave danger,” Dedigama said.

Sri Lanka is currently under lockdown due to the spread of the Delta variant and everyone has to act responsibly, he has said. It was through that all coronavirus variants entered Sri Lanka, he said.

“Vaccinated or not, Crew can get infected, carry the virus, and infect others. We also wish to state that the FAU wholeheartedly supports responsible tourism, wherein primarily the citizens of our nation are protected and the tourist who travel to Sri Lanka are truly protected. Tourists need to understand that they are travelling to a destination that has taken precautions to protect them from COVID-19, instead of letting our guard down and placing them in grave danger,” he said.

Sri Lanka needs to protect its citizens to show the world that Sri Lanka is a safe destination. Tourism officials must show the world that Sri Lanka is a responsible tourist destination and not one of ignorance and or greed, Dedigama said.

“Your insinuation that frontline staff have to let our guard down, in order for you to promote our destination is a direct insinuation that the very tourists you are trying to bring down to Sri Lanka are gullible. The picture you are attempting to paint to the tourist, is false and misleading, especially at a time a highly infectious variant of the virus is prevalent in our Country,” he said.

The Flight Attendants Union President told Fernando that Sri Lanka must not be reckless in its attempts to woo tourists. He said that wearing PPE for long hours in an aeroplane is not an easy task but attendants wear it because it is a lifesaving necessity during a pandemic.

“We don such PPE, not by choice but by genuine necessity. We will be the first to doff the PPE when it is opportune and safe not only for us but also the passenger. Since the advent of the new potent variant of the virus to Sri Lanka, the FAU worked diligently with the SriLankan airlines Management in enhancing the health and safety protocols, thus ensuring that the Crew and passengers are duly protected from the virus,” he said.

SriLankan management and staff assessed the situation for days and came up with best processes to minimise risk for everyone on a plane, Dedigama said. They have adhered to WHO, IATA and ICAO standards and made Sri Lankan one of the safest airlines in the world for passengers to travel, he said.

“Whilst our jobs depend on the very tourists you are trying to woo by deception, it is our position that we have a greater duty of care to the passengers we carry in our aircraft. As such, as a responsible Union we reiterate that responsible tourism should be what is promoted for Sri Lanka by way of genuinely being responsible for their safety and wellbeing” Dedigama said.

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Flight Attendants Union of SriLankan Airlines yesterday expressed their dismay at the request made by Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism Kimarli Fernando to remove the requirement where fully vaccinated flight crew had to wear PPEs.

Union President, Sidath Dedigama writing to Fernando said that they are perturbed and disheartened at the “extremely irresponsible” request she made to the Director General of Health Services by way of your letter ref: SLTDA/CHA/391.

“At the onset we wish to state in no uncertain terms that the FAU as a responsible Union will take all measures, lawfully available, to protect the crew, the general public and specifically the passengers and the children under the age of 12 who are not vaccinated that you are callously attempting to place in grave danger,” Dedigama said.

Sri Lanka is currently under lockdown due to the spread of the Delta variant and everyone has to act responsibly, he said. It was through that all coronavirus variants entered Sri Lanka, he said.

“Vaccinated or not, Crew can get infected, carry the virus, and infect others. We also wish to state that the FAU wholeheartedly supports responsible tourism, wherein primarily the citizens of our nation are protected and the tourist who travel to Sri Lanka are truly protected. Tourists need to understand that they are travelling to a destination that has taken precautions to protect them from COVID-19, instead of letting our guard down and placing them in grave danger,” he said.

Sri Lanka needs to protect its citizens to show the world that Sri Lanka is a safe destination. Tourism officials must show the world that Sri Lanka is a responsible tourist destination and not one of ignorance and or greed, Dedigama said.

“Your insinuation that frontline staff have to let our guard down, in order for you to promote our destination is a direct insinuation that the very tourists you are trying to bring down to Sri Lanka are gullible. The picture you are attempting to paint to the tourist, is false and misleading, especially at a time a highly infectious variant of the virus is prevalent in our Country,” he said.

The Flight Attendants Union President told Fernando that Sri Lanka must not be reckless in its attempts to woo tourists. He said that wearing PPE for long hours in an aeroplane is not an easy task but attendants wear it because it is a lifesaving necessity during a pandemic.

“We don such PPE, not by choice but by genuine necessity. We will be the first to doff the PPE when it is opportune and safe not only for us but also the passenger. Since the advent of the new potent variant of the virus to Sri Lanka, the FAU worked diligently with the SriLankan airlines Management in enhancing the health and safety protocols, thus ensuring that the Crew and passengers are duly protected from the virus,” he said.

SriLankan management and staff assessed the situation for days and came up with best processes to minimise risk for everyone on a plane, Dedigama said. They have adhered to WHO, IATA and ICAO standards and made Sri Lankan one of the safest airlines in the world for passengers to travel, he said.

“Whilst our jobs depend on the very tourists you are trying to woo by deception, it is our position that we have a greater duty of care to the passengers we carry in our aircraft. As such, as a responsible Union we reiterate that responsible tourism should be what is promoted for Sri Lanka by way of genuinely being responsible for their safety and wellbeing” Dedigama said.