- Chairman denies unofficial strike by pilots, says pilots being recruited
Attributing the cause of several of its recent flight cancellations to shortages of aircraft and pilots, SriLankan Airlines (SLA) stated that it is currently in the process of resolving the issue.
Speaking in Parliament last week, Opposition Parliamentarian Attorney Dayasiri Jayasekara claimed that 13 SLA flights were cancelled within a period of five days - i.e. from 18-22 June. It was later reported that SLA pilots are on an unofficial strike demanding that a due payment for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic be settled.
When contacted by The Daily Morning to inquire about the matter, SLA Chairman Ashok Pathirage refuted the reports of an unofficial strike launched by the pilots. “There is no such strike at all.” When queried about the recent flight cancellations, he said: “There are some issues that have caused this situation. They are the shortages of pilots and aircraft and engine-related issues. We are now in the process of resolving them. Pilots are being recruited.”
Jayasekara claimed last week that from 18-22 June, a total of 13 flights were cancelled and SLA had to accommodate passengers at nearby hotels at a cost of millions of Sri Lankan rupees. The cancelled flights, as reported, were scheduled to leave for destinations such as Delhi, Jakarta, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Singapore, Kuwait, Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He further claimed that Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva was attempting to conceal the real nature of the problematic situation that had emerged at the SLA. He said that the pilots were demanding payment for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic period, but that the Government had not taken steps to address the issue.
De Silva was not available for comment.
Previously in April, several problematic situations involving SLA flights were reported. On 21 April, the SLA flight UL 225 to Dubai had to turn around mid-flight and land back at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake. On 14 April, another SLA flight, UL 605, had been delayed for over 30 hours in Melbourne, Australia due to technical issues, and a special team had then been sent to Melbourne from Colombo to address the technical issue. On 8 April, the SLA flight UL 225 to Dubai had been forced to make an emergency landing in Sri Lanka, one hour and 10 minutes after it took off. The emergency landing occurred following a 10-hour delay prior to departure due to technical issues.