Breaking all the stereotypes and barriers related to aviation training in Sri Lanka, Sakurai Aviation Academy has produced the Youngest Female Private Pilot License (PPL) Holder at the age of 17. 

She is also one of the very few pilots in the world to achieve the said feat.

“I have been an aviation enthusiast since I was a little girl and I’m extremely proud to be the Youngest Female PPL Holder in Sri Lanka. 

I’m grateful to God, my mother and my ground instructors and flight instructor Capt. Dinindu Ruwanpathirange at Sakurai Aviation for the continuous support and guidance. 

I invite every young aspiring pilot to be, to follow their heart and start chasing their lifelong dream for there’s absolutely nothing you cannot achieve if you have the sheer will and commitment,” said Sathnara Fernando, Sri Lanka’s Youngest Female PPL Holder. 

“She is an incredibly talented young girl, whose passion for aviation outgrew all other obstacles, including that of stereotypical barriers. As her instructor & the Chief Flight Instructor of Sakurai Aviation, I consider it a privilege to have trained someone of that caliber, especially to achieve such remarkable feat,” Capt. Dinindu Ruwanpathiranage, Chief Flight Instructor (CFI) & Head of Operations of Sakurai Aviation Academy said. 

Established in 2016, with the mission to instill and propagate the spirit of aviation, Sakurai Aviation Academy has trained over 100 students over its 5 years of operation in Sri Lanka with the support of their highly skillful and experienced theoretical instructors and flight instructors.