Harsha Abeywickrama resigns as Chairman of Airport & Aviation Services

Colombo, Jan. 28 (Daily Mirror) - Air Chief Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama has resigned from his position as the Chairman of Airport & Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd.

Abeywickrama was appointed to the post in October 2024. According to the Ministry of Ports and Aviation, his resignation comes in light of several upcoming structural changes within the organization.

Following his resignation, Secretary to the Ministry W.W.S. Mangala has been appointed as Acting Chairman to oversee the duties of the position.

It was reported that Harsha Abeywickrama resigned from his position following a standoff with a government minister over aviation security protocols. The conflict reportedly arose when the minister allegedly demanded special security clearance for certain members of the clergy to enter highly restricted "sterile" areas of the airport, effectively bypassing standard international security screening. 

The media reports claimed that Abeywickrama refused to grant this access, maintaining that it violated non-negotiable global safety standards (specifically ICAO Annex 17) which dictate that access must be based on operational necessity rather than political or social status. But there has been no official confirmation.

Several attempts to contact the former Chairman was failed.