Business
Despite love and hate, National Carrier is a must-have for its economy: SriLankan CEO
By Sanath Nanayakkare
National airlines are usually the most loved and the most criticised operation in many countries and Sri Lanka is a clear example for this, Richard Nuttall, the Chief Executive Officer at Sri Lankan Airlines said at the Aviation College in Katunayake recently.
He said so while delivering the keynote speech at a workshop held for a group of media personnel who write, broadcast and telecast aviation news for their respective media organisations.
The two-day media workshop no doubt helped create more understanding of the aviation industry and why it’s important, and even more so how the National Carrier best serves its passengers and contributes to the economy despite having to deal with ill-considered and uninformed comments made in the main stream media and social media platforms.
“If you do a survey, you will find that the most favorite airline is the most hated airline at the same time, which is true for Sri Lanka too. Sri Lankans are in a state of having two opposing feelings at the same about the National Carrier, or are uncertain about how they should feel about it,” he said.
Richard Nuttall
Further speaking SriLankan CEO said,” Most often what is get reported is about ‘I had to wait an hour at the airport, or a flight turned back due to technical fault, but the reality is we are carrying 5 million passengers a year, and when you have 5 million passengers a year, it means 1,500 passengers through 15 desks in an hour. Such trivial things happen everywhere in the world and there are lot worse places in terms of such occurrences. Everywhere you would see a flight turning back or something happens on a flight and the airline says,” we don’t continue and we need to go back to base’. If you Google and search, you will find that it happens to any carrier in the world. So, what we want is to let the conversation move beyond instead of talking about small things; how we handle 5 million passengers a year on thousands of flights to many destinations. For example, if a Hajj pilgrim at the end of his life unfortunately passes away on a flight, it is not news. It is a general incident. This is why we want to lift the conversation and the understanding to a different level and see whether we could get the people who are really interested in aviation to see how the industry works so that we can have more informed views about the big picture of the industry. Aviation is a very complex business and it requires a lot of commitment and many, many skills. Sri Lankan Airlines has many personnel with a huge amount of training. For example, it takes years of hard work to become a pilot. It takes years to become an engineer. Like everybody else, we have IT experts, accounting professionals etc. We have about 100 IT systems integrated into our operational system. We have personnel who do revenue management, who set prices and plan where the aircrafts go. In addition, we have Catering, Ground Services and we provide maintenance for other carriers. Some of them stay with SriLankan for longer periods and others choose to work for other airlines. So, this is a huge, complex industry and SriLankan Airlines is a big company. We are highly regulated and we need to get permission from various governments where we arrive. And we need to operate in compliance with the safety protocols of not only the Civil Aviation Authority in Sri Lanka but also of civil aviation authorities from across the world. Everything we do in flying and on the ground is regulated and if we don’t follow these procedures, we might not be allowed to fly to Europe tomorrow. So it is more important to have an understanding of how SriLankan Airlines maintain these highest standards rather than anything else.”
“Aviation is probably worth about 5-6% of GDP for most countries and if we didn’t have aviation, that contribution wouldn’t be there. We employ 6,000 people. Around the ecosystem, there are many other people employed in civil aviation, in airports, as travel agents, as cargo agents etc. Hotels and tourism industry which directly and indirectly supports 10% of the population wouldn’t be able to operate if we didn’t engage in connectivity. If you look around the world at strongest economies, they all have a strong airline. What’s the hub in the Middle East? It’s Dubai and it grew on the back of Emirates. Etihad, Qatar, Saudi Arabia flights go there and their economy is driven hand in hand with Emirates. The financial centres of the world such as London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Hong Kong, and New York, all have major airlines based there with flights going in all directions. All regional airline offices in Africa are based in Nairobi. Kenya Airways is based in Nairobi. So aviation and airlines are really, really critical to any given country’s economy, businesses and tourism. This is why countries need to have strong airlines and all the reasons for having a strong national carrier for those important networks to work seamlessly. Today SriLankan flies to 35 destinations and as a ‘oneworld member’, we connect to hundreds of destinations across the world. How many people in this country have connections with Australia? If we don’t have an airline based here, nobody would fly nonstop to Australia. The reason for that is those flights are filled with 40% of the passengers coming from India. If we didn’t fly to Australia and didn’t fly to South East Asia maybe 50% of the flights that we fly on Indian routes won’t be there. There are so many people who say that if SriLankan is not there, somebody else will carry that route. That’s not correct. If you get somebody else to fly on maybe 30% of the routes, you just have to go via somewhere else and you will end up paying a lot more airfare. So if you want to build an aviation hub here, grow your tourism, scale up your industries, you have to have a strong national carrier.”
Indra Traders recently introduced a special programme titled “Athwela” in collaboration with the Bank of Ceylon (BOC).
The programme was designed with a primary focus on customer convenience, aiming to provide essential support by simplifying the financial challenges often associated with vehicle purchasing and servicing. This initiative is regarded as a further strengthening of the trust and relationships Indra Traders has built over its decades of service excellence.
The partner for this program, the Bank of Ceylon (BOC), is Sri Lanka’s largest state bank and a premier financial institution. It offers an extensive island-wide branch network, exceptional customer service, and some of the most competitive interest rates in the market.
Speaking at the event, Rushanka Silva, Managing Director of Indra Traders, said: “Today is a very special day for us. As Indra Traders, a company engaged in business for over five decades, it is a great honor to enter into the ‘Athwela’ agreement with Sri Lanka’s largest bank. Through this program, we are working to provide various financial and service facilities, including leasing. As a company that imports everything from the smallest to the largest vehicles, we provide customers the opportunity to purchase any vehicle they need through our six yards located across the island. Even if a specific vehicle is not in our current stock, we are prepared to import it according to the customer’s requirement. I invite all customers to join hands with ‘Athwela’.”
Y. A. Jayathilaka, General Manager of Bank of Ceylon, added “At a time when restrictions on vehicle imports have been relaxed, it is a great pleasure for Bank of Ceylon, the strongest bank in the country, to partner with Indra Traders – a company with over 50 years of trusted history. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive and convenient service to leasing customers across the island by combining BOC’s extensive branch network with Indra Traders’ expertise.”
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Beijing together with Beijing Capital Airlines last week organized a destination promotion event and announced the launch the Capital Airlines direct flights from Beijing to Colombo.
While congratulating Beijing Capital Airlines for expanding the connectivity between Beijing and Colombo, the Sri Lanka Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe highlighted the longstanding bilateral relations between the two countries and the significance of strengthening connectivity in line with the Joint Statement issued following the meeting in January 2025 between President Xi Jinping and President Anura Kumara Disanayaka, a news release from the embassy said.
The President of the Beijing Capital Airlines Liu Jun expressed appreciation and stated that the new route is an important milestone in expanding the airline’s South Asian network while strengthening the Air Silk Route. He also highlighted that this is the only direct flight connecting Northern China with Sri Lanka and a key Capital-to-Capital air link, it added.
There was no word about the flight frequency and when the service will begin.
Ambassador Jayesinghe reiterated that Sri Lanka is more than a holiday destination and is positioned as an exotic, experienced-rich, year-round travel destination offering warm and pleasant weather. He emphasized that Sri Lanka, as a stand-alone destination, provides a blend of rich history, eight UNESCO heritage sites, diverse landscapes, pristine beaches, dense forests, and scenic mountains, inviting Chinese travellers to explore and enjoy Sri Lanka.
The commencement of the Beijing – Colombo route will contribute to the social and economic development of both countries. The Beijing- Colombo service has filled a longstanding gap in the aviation market and will further promote the economic, trade, cultural and tourism development, while offering more convenient travel options, the news release said.
SLT-MOBITEL Mobile, in collaboration with Fintelex (Pvt) Ltd, has launched ‘Yaya Agro’, an exclusive all-in-one smart agriculture app designed to empower Sri Lankan farmers with the tools they need to grow smarter, safer, and more sustainably.
Yaya Agro represents a new era of digital farming in Sri Lanka combining technology, expert knowledge, and community empowerment to provide farmers the confidence to make smarter decisions, improve productivity, and build a sustainable future.
Developed with support from GIZ and Hatch and validated by leading academic and professional institutions including the University of Colombo, Institute for Agrotechnology and Rural Sciences, and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, Yaya Agro combines agricultural expertise, real-time weather updates, first aid support, and AI-powered assistance into a single, easy-to-use platform.
The launch of Yaya Agro positions SLT-MOBITEL as an innovative, inclusive, and collaborative technology leader. Partnering technology and academic institutions, the company extends its role outside the sector into agriculture, empowering farmers with AI-driven tools, multilingual access, and market connectivity. The initiative also strengthens SLT-MOBITEL’s image as a champion of digital empowerment and sustainable development in Sri Lanka.
Functioning as a comprehensive digital companion, Yaya Agro is positioned as a digital farming companion, bringing precision agriculture, real-time support, and market access to the fingertips of every Sri Lankan farmer.
Whether managing a small home garden or a large commercial farm, the app equips farmers with vital insights to improve crop yield, reduce risks, and connect directly with buyers through the integrated online marketplace.
Yaya Agro offers farmers daily crop information with expert tips on management, pest control, and best practices, all validated by the University of Colombo. It provides accurate, location-based weather forecasts to help plan farming activities more effectively. The app also delivers life-saving first aid tutorials and safety information verified by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, ensuring farmers are prepared for emergencies. With the AI chatbot assistant, farmers can access instant, personalized advice around the clock, with smart notifications delivering timely alerts and reminders tailored to crop cycles.
To make learning inclusive and accessible, Yaya Agro is available in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, offering interactive educational content such as videos, voice guides, and infographics. The app also integrates an online marketplace, developed in partnership with GIZ and Hatch, enabling farmers to connect directly with buyers and expand their reach.
Prime Minister launches Zahira College, Puttalam Website
Pretoria Capitals recover from 7/5 to beat Joburg Super Kings
Dry weather will prevail in most parts of the island
Premadasa: Grade 6 syllabus fiasco signals deeper issues
Sri Lankan Airlines launches Intl branding initiative for Colombo Nawam Maha Perahera 2026
Reports on Grade 6 module adult website link due next week
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Editorial23 hours agoIllusory rule of law
-
News2 days agoUNDP’s assessment confirms widespread economic fallout from Cyclone Ditwah
-
Business4 days agoKoaloo.Fi and Stredge forge strategic partnership to offer businesses sustainable supply chain solutions
-
Editorial2 days agoCrime and cops
-
Editorial3 days agoThe Chakka Clash
-
Features23 hours agoDaydreams on a winter’s day
-
Business4 days agoSLT MOBITEL and Fintelex empower farmers with the launch of Yaya Agro App
-
Features3 days agoOnline work compatibility of education tablets