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SriLankan Airlines says witnessing flight of pilots

24 November 2022 06:00 am - 25     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nutall speaks to media in Colombo 
Pic by Kithsiri de Mel

  • CEO Nutall says exodus of aircraft pilots has become a major concern
  • Recruitment freeze applicable to all state-run entities adding to woes
  • Highlights need to expand operations to improve financial performance of debt-laden carrier 

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam 

National carrier SriLankan Airlines is faced with a fresh challenge to tackle, as it is currently witnessing an exodus of airline pilots, SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nutall told journalists in Colombo, yesterday. 

“It is a concern at the moment. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. The number of people leaving is starting to go up. This is something we are watching very carefully and are discussing with the board and ministry as well,” he said. 

As a state-owned enterprise, the national carrier has restrictions on recruiting pilots to fill in the widening gap in human resources, which is adding to the woes it is facing. 

“Many carriers in the world are looking for pilots. They are an international commodity,” said Nuttal. 
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic turmoil since its independence and as a result, a significant brain drain is currently taking place, with many professionals looking for overseas employment to beat the runaway inflation, which is clocking just shy of 70 percent.

SriLankan Airlines is at present losing its human resource assets to competing airlines across the world that are looking to expand capacity, so that frequencies can go back to pre-Covid-19 levels. 

Nuttal asserted the need for the airline to expand its operations, so that it can reap the benefits of the growth in global tourism that is picking up after being impacted by the pandemic.

To improve the financial performance of the entity, which will spill over to the workforce of the carrier, Nutall said efforts must be taken to increase the frequency to high tourist traffic generating markets such as the UK and India.  

SriLankan must also look to increase frequencies to destinations such as Singapore, Syndey, Korea and Malaysia, as they are high-potential markets, he pointed out. 

However, the carrier is unable to proceed with its expansion plans, due to its limited fleet of aircraft. At present, Sri Lankan has a fleet of 24 aircraft. According to Nutall, ideally, the fleet size should be 32 aircraft.

Efforts are underway to gain the Cabinet approval to replace the seven aircraft that parted with the carrier last year and the three that will be leaving this year. 

Airlines across the world are currently facing challenges in increasing their fleets, even those with financial capacity, due to a shortage of aircraft engines. Further, the aircraft part output has also dropped in recent months, due to worker shortages.


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  Comments - 25

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  • Ram Thursday, 24 November 2022 07:02 AM

    Like many leaving for greener pastures airline Pilots too may be seeking employment in good airlines operating from affluent western countries with the hope of taking their families one day. RW was elevated to his chair thanks to aragalaya staged by the suffering people and he now says he will now suppress aragalaya using security forces. What will happen is the security forces too may join aragalaya as their families too are suffering with high cost of living or the aragalaya bubble may explode with another catastrophe

    Lankan Aviator Thursday, 24 November 2022 07:08 AM

    Unlike other Sri Lankan staff, only the pilots have flexibility to take up jobs elsewhere. The way to keep them is to pay them fairly like the pay rates that happen for pilots happen in the international market. It is a lot cheaper to pay a pilot 12,000,000 extra a year than recruit a new one.

    Terrence K Thursday, 24 November 2022 07:12 AM

    These are the repercussions of a country which has been ruined by politicians especially the Rajapakse Regime which is filtering down to all segments of society. With the runaway inflation we are losing many professionals etc in different fields and at last we will have to scrape the barrel to fill the positions vacant with incompetent people. Whilst no one is indispensable, but we had a good base of knowledge workers with many who have been exposed in different countries to the new innovations taking place globally. Can we fill this vacuum overnight which has taken several years to build. My observation is that other countries are grabbing our professionals as they will not incur any extra cost as they are proficient to fill in those slots all due to the wretched brainless politicians and the public taken on a jolly good ride by this regime and their lackeys and still follow their footsteps. No one can help a stupid public who have been duped.

    Gamaya Thursday, 24 November 2022 07:39 AM

    Well its not just the airlines, most of the trained technicians at automobile companies are leaving as they get job offers. Why should they slave away in Sri Lanka to get a small salary and not live their life when there are greener pastures. In the future there wont be many a trained and experienced automobile technician in Sri Lanka. That is far worse than the airlines losing its pilots.

    Reformist Thursday, 24 November 2022 07:44 AM

    His statement and explanations are correct. However, what is not explained over the years was SL Airlines was very much manured by politicians and was not allowed to operate as a true business. Until that happens and cronies are taken out of the AirLine management, this will be a disaster. Air Lines can't be run as political footballs. They are businesses and must be run as such by professionals without any interference.

    BuffaloaCitizen Thursday, 24 November 2022 12:03 PM

    During Peter Hill's time, this airline was profitable. Then Mahinda bastard came and kicked him out and put his own BIL Nishantha to run the airline like Daisy Archie's chicken pen. The family used it like their own personal garage, chartering aircrafts full time to visit Vatican, Hindu Temples and even to carry personal items. Then they added Mihin Lanka and used all the resources of Sri Lankan to augment and run Mihin. Such low caste dirty bastards these Rajapakse's and we still allow them to walk around in this country and live on public financing and security.

    Sadeepa Palliyaguru Thursday, 24 November 2022 08:00 AM

    Everyone who could afford to leave this country are leaving. Thats the sad ground reality. Ministers can of course deny it. Airline Pilots are one example. Nurses , Doctors and IT Professionals are also leaving and soon we will see the impact of this brain drain. We will be successful nation when citizens will identify who has put Sri Lanka in to this state and when citizens take action to correct it.

    SDS Thursday, 24 November 2022 08:06 AM

    Seems the CEO is hiding the fact that the pilots are leaving due to SLAs practice of using wrong USD conversions rate of 225 on salaries for almost three years. This makes our pilots the lowest paid in the region in their respective categories.

    Louis Pereira Sunday, 27 November 2022 04:33 AM

    Yes very true and also that the pilots salaries have been frozen with an involuntary pay cut is not mentioned by this donkey of a CEO.

    Transfer the staff to fill vacancies Thursday, 24 November 2022 08:06 AM

    Do we see a conflict of interest? President wants to close down the Airline, while Nutall wants to expand! The airline is top heavy and bottom heavy in staff. Top posts are with Rajapassa family, and bottom security level over flowing with men of grade 8, from farmers and fishermen from down south. The most essential but unappreciated and unsung staff are leaving. May be pilots can be trained from the top and bottom rung of staff. There is no restriction to transfer and train staff to meet requirement?

    Adam Manik Thursday, 24 November 2022 08:13 AM

    Srilanka is a resilient country. Despite difficulties it always bounced back. Due to the recent difficulties there I'd a major exodus of well trained people out of the country and the government actively encouraged it. That's bad because Srilanka needs those people when the economy starts improving. Instead the government should have instituted a disbursement of local currency money to mitigate the impact of runaway inflation which makes life difficult for its people.

    Master Cheif Thursday, 24 November 2022 09:31 AM

    Mr. Nuttal has conveniently left out the fact that it is the management practices of SriLankan Airlines that triggered this exodus of pilots. Pilot salaries are calculated in USD, then converted to LKR at the CSBSL rate and paid out. This is essential because UL pilots are some of the least paid in the region and they are able to find jobs with foreign airlines easily. The pilots of UL are being robbed of their rightfully earned wages by not calculating their salaries at the correct $ rate. They are only being paid Rs.225 to the dollar at a time where the actual rate is Rs.370 . Pilots are not being paid for some of the work hours they spend onboard the aircraft. They are also not being paid some of their allowances. They are being robbed of a portion of their EPF/ETF payments by calculating salaries at the incorrect and illegal dollar rate. The take home salary of a pilot at UL is approximately 50% of what their nominal salary is. Add on to this a tax of 36% per month, there is no r

    R H Thursday, 24 November 2022 10:02 AM

    Sri Lankans( Buddhists and Hindus) are holding top positions in America and Britain. But back home in Sri Lanka the country is still under the “whiteman” worship culture. Why is the Sri Lankan Airlines CEO is a white man and not a Sri Lankan ? Converted Christian Sri Lankans worshiping the whiteman is known because they are slaves but why are others also doing the same.

    BuffaloaCitizen Thursday, 24 November 2022 12:08 PM

    But Sinhalese are all 100% crooks and corrupt to the core. One cannot give them any position of authority and they will not think twice to rob. This is a fact and ingrained culture. So it is better to give this job to a foreigner even at a higher salary because at least he will not allow corruption and robbing up to a certain extent at Management Level. Remember how Nishantha (Mahinda's BIL) ran Sri Lankan like a family garage to the extent of even screwing the female cabin crew.

    BuffaloaCitizen Thursday, 24 November 2022 12:08 PM

    But Sinhalese are all 100% crooks and corrupt to the core. One cannot give them any position of authority and they will not think twice to rob. This is a fact and ingrained culture. So it is better to give this job to a foreigner even at a higher salary because at least he will not allow corruption and robbing up to a certain extent at Management Level. Remember how Nishantha (Mahinda's BIL) ran Sri Lankan like a family garage to the extent of even screwing the female cabin crew.

    Jude Thursday, 24 November 2022 10:17 AM

    CEO Nutall why you're in charge of eternally loss making airline!???? Last known accounting period the cumulative loss is Whopping Rs.372 Billion!! Richard how do you sleep at night!?? Knowing you're blowing smoke with Lankan people's money and the tax payers money!! You should feed yourself and your family with Lankan people's SHIT yeah!!

    Jude Thursday, 24 November 2022 10:23 AM

    Notta single politician ever suggested to ground the gigantic money losing SRILANKAN AIRLINES, why ?? Coz politicians don't get to roam world over for Free and on public dime!! They're are using SRILANKAN AIRLINES as if Uber airtaxi !! Yeah!!

    Pilot Thursday, 24 November 2022 10:27 AM

    MR converted an Airline that was doing well earlier into a White Elephant and a liability.Tax payers can't bear it anymore, hence close it down.

    Emmanuel Thursday, 24 November 2022 11:39 AM

    Dear richard apologies for being brutal, why dont you make the existing operations innovative and futuristic, why dont you increase non aeronautical revenues, most of the airlines makes money from non aeronautical revenues, from banks and advertising companies and many premium brands. why dont you connect AAASL and Sri Lankan make it a profitable together. Why dont you increase emotional intelligence in the operations. The Airport and in-flights feel like run by prison masters or like a military barrack in a communist country. Increase humanness and hygiene, why dont you recruit Michelin star chefs and increase food innovations, why dont you make money from maintenance and training program with other airlines..no novelty, all are copied many times how can you compete in brutal competition and stupid bureaucracy above you. You need the bend the universe man not copying and spending money. you started aviation at the age of 55 you are not an aviation man bro... pilots will run.

    Perera Thursday, 24 November 2022 11:40 AM

    There’s one person in the management who is directly responsible for this situation. Who requested the Chairman to remove the meal allowance paid onboard for the crew to be removed. This greatly disappointed the crew and the pilots. So this is the outcome of her actions.

    Mic Drop Thursday, 24 November 2022 11:47 AM

    During successive meetings with the pilots, the CEO once said that he would prefer pilots leaving as opposed to stagnating. The Chairman himself stated that pilots who are unhappy with what they are paid, should leave. So now please don't cry when what you wanted all along is finally happening. What did you expect when the misdeeds and corruption of successive managements were passed on to the employees to bear? Perhaps you can ask the HHR Buddhika Manage, and the rest of her cronies from the HR department, as well as those in the IT department (both departments which received pay hikes when the wages of the rest are being stolen) to try and fly the airplanes themselves.

    Nuwan Thursday, 24 November 2022 12:04 PM

    Seeking cabinet approval for expansion, pay hikes is painful and slow. How can a company be competitive. Another reason for this airline to be sold to a private administration.

    Terrence K Thursday, 24 November 2022 01:14 PM

    @RH always you loud mouthed fellows bring religion, caste, creed, etc to the equation for the incompetency, weaknesses and inherent devilish minds of some of our countrymen. Since independence most of our State owned enterprises have been white elephants. Today the engine of growth is the private sector because the government has been filled with lackeys of politicians who are corrupt from the marrow and no sooner they take over an organization the motto is make hay while the sunshine. With your big talk these organizations should be profit making entities without being dependent on the Treasury. At least when a foreigner takes over the emphasis is to ensure the Airline makes a profit and create a brand recognized globally without interference by politicians which happened during CEO Peter Hill's time where certain politicians tried to interfere with the running of the organization. It is disgusting to see a comment written which does not hold water as there is a hole.. dear Liza.

    Jeewes Jupiter Thursday, 24 November 2022 10:05 PM

    We can only imagine if someone as good at Peter Hill was still in charge of UL..........where would this airline be today :(

    frequent flyer Friday, 25 November 2022 11:16 AM

    Since the covid pandemic started 2 years ago lots of airline staff as well as piolts have left their jobs overseas for other careers as a result there is quite a demand for airline staff in the airline industry. There are frequent cancellation of flights daily due to the shortage of staff and flights are never on time in many countries generally. As a result there is quite a demand for pilots and airline staff all over the world since it is no more a glamor job.


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