State-owned SriLankan Airlines (UL, Colombo International) has developed a new five-year corporate plan after the government abandoned ambitions last year to sell a majority stake in the flag carrier. SriLankan's chairman, Sarath Ganegoda, told reporters that the plan, which follows on from a five-year plan released in 2019, emphasises operational efficiency, financial sustainability, and customer satisfaction. It also foregrounds an expanding fleet.
Ganegoda said the carrier will soon add three new aircraft to its fleet and that it needs 27 aircraft to meet its operational requirements. According to ch-aviation fleets data, SriLankan Airlines operates 22 aircraft, including seven A320-200s, two A320-200Ns, four A321-200Ns (three are inactive), two A330-200s, and seven A330-300s. ch-aviation contacted SriLankan Airlines for more information about the new aircraft.
The Sri Lankan government appointed Ganegoda to the chair's role in October 2024 after it decided to refresh the airline's board. He replaced Ashok Pathirage, who had served as chairman since 2019. Ganegoda has also served as an executive director at Hayleys Group, a local publicly-listed cross-sector conglomerate.
Hayleys was one of six entities that participated in the pre-qualification to bid process when the government was looking to privatise SriLankan in the first half of last year. Hayleys was later put on the shortlist, along with two other potential buyers. However, in July 2024, the government dropped the privatisation plans, with the then aviation minister, Nimal Siripala de Silva, saying none of the potential bidders were suitable.
