SriLankan sees 57 pilot resignations, more anticipated 

National carrier SriLankan Airlines yesterday stated that since early 2021, up until now, 57 pilots have resigned from the airline, which includes some early retirements, and “a few more exits can be anticipated.”

 SriLankan said prior to the pandemic, it employed 320 pilots for a fleet of 27 aircraft.

 “The airline has 257 pilots at present, a number sufficient to meet its operational requirements of a reduced fleet and keep average crew flying hours well within global standards,” the airline said in a statement.

“SriLankan Airlines has only cancelled a small number of flights to-date including the widely reported flight to South Korea due to the sudden unavailability of scheduled crew and replacements.

SriLankan Airlines is aware that it must increase the technical crew numbers in line with the planned expansion of its fleet. The airline is already training new cadet pilots, and in the process of hiring pilots, having advertised both locally and internationally,” it added. 

SriLankan said it has been managing with a reduced fleet of 15 as opposed to the intended 18 aircraft over the last two months, which has unfortunately impacted the airline’s flight schedule and on-time performance.

“The good news is that this situation is expected to ease off by mid-July 2023,” the airline said.

The airline expects to increase the number of aircraft it operates to 20 with a newly leased Airbus A330.