By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana 

Three SriLankan Airlines aircraft were grounded after their planes’ engines went out of order, Minister of Ports and Aviation  Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament yesterday.  

“These three planes have been grounded for some time after  their engines had gone out of order. This was found out when we looked  at the fleet after the decision was made to increase flights to China in  order to bring in Chinese tourists to the country,” the Minister said.  

“The main issue with this situation is that Sri Lanka  still has to pay the rental and the lease for these aircraft despite the  grounding,” he added.  

“National carrier’s total debts amount to $ 1.2 billion  and cannot continue any more. Therefore, it has to be restructured as soon  as possible. Actually, the government has to decide what entities the state should run and what should be handed over to the private  sector,” he highlighted, generalizing the situation.  

The main issue with this situation is that Sri Lanka  still has to pay the rental and the lease for these aircraft despite the  grounding