Sri Lankan successfully completes IATA Environmental Assessment

20 January 2015 04:40 am Views - 28322

Sri Lankan Air lines Head of Human Resources and the Convenor of the Green Team, Pradeepa Kekulawala said, “As the national carrier of Sri Lanka, that has been promoting the county’s natural beauty worldwide, we have been fully aware of our responsibility towards environment; this has driven us to involve ourselves in sustainable practices thereby contributing to conservation. The Green Team of SriLankan Airlines has been i mplementing many projects on carbon mitigation and waste management. We are proud that SriLankan Airlines has completed the IEnvA stage 1 Assessment, which goes to show our dedication towards environment as an airline, and the passengers who fly with us can take pride in the fact that they become contributors to conservation through their choice of airline.”


“These airlines are among the pioneers in this critical new program. IATA’s audits and assessment schemes are impartial, independent evaluations designed to improve industry performance against global benchmarks. The IATA Operational Safety Audit has done much to help improve airline safety and we expect that the IEnvA will do likewise for environmental standards” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director-General and CEO.


IEnvA has been developed in conjunction with airlines so that it addresses industry needs and specific concerns. IEnvA assesses environmental performance against sustainability standards across a broad range of disciplines, including (but not limited to) the management of air quality and emissions, noise, fuel consumption and operational efficiency, recycling, energy efficiency, sustainable procurement, and biofuel utilization. Further this evaluation system is designed to independently assess and improve the environmental management of an airline and as a voluntary programme IEnvA helps airlines to simplify regulatory compliance, demonstrate good governance and achieve financial savings from the better use of resources.


SriLankan Airlines, Environmental Compliance and Planning Manager, Dhanushka de Silva said, “This is a proud moment for SriLankan Airlines when the Airline’s Environment Strategic and Compliance unit achieves a great milestone in terms of environmental standards and regulatory compliances. This signifies our team effort and commitment to organise and structure our operational processes according to the International environmental standards.”
IEnvA implementation follows a phased approach due t o t he complexity and global presence of airlines. This involves a detailed assessment of flight operations, corporate and management activities.

The two implementation phases are:
Stage 01 ensures an airline has developed t he foundation and framework for its environmental management system. Stage 1 also certifies an airline has identified and complied with its environmental legal requirements.


Stage 02 is the highest level of IEnvA achievement, ensures that an airline has implemented all of the IEnvA Program Standards, identified and mitigated its significant environmental impacts and has set performance targets. Stage 2 also certifies that an airline has developed processes for monitoring and reviewing its performance against its targets and objectives, thus driving environmental efficiency.



SriLankan’s Green Vision is focussed on becoming South Asia’s pioneering Planet-Friendly Airline and to achieve sustainable business development. The Airline continues to take on many sustainable projects focussing on reducing carbon footprint and conserving nature with the help of passionate volunteers and partnerships.