Fresh turbulence for SriLankan Airlines after pilot is locked out of cockpit

by admin
Oct 15, 2024

SriLankan Airlines, the struggling state carrier, has been engulfed in fresh controversy after a captain locked out his female co-pilot during her toilet break, on a flight from Sydney to Colombo this week.

SriLankan Airlines issued a statement confirming that an investigation is underway regarding the incident on flight UL 607, which took place last month. The pilot reportedly locked the cockpit and refused to open it after the First Officer went to use the toilet.

“Words were exchanged via the communication link between the cockpit and outside, and it reportedly took considerable effort from a senior crew member to persuade the captain to end the standoff,” Economy Next reported a source familiar with the case as stating.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Sri Lanka has initiated a formal investigation, and the captain has been grounded pending its outcome. “The airline is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities,” the airline's statement said, adding that the captain's grounding was part of its ongoing efforts to prioritize safety and compliance with aviation regulations. Fortunately, the Airbus A330 aircraft landed safely in Colombo, and no passengers were harmed.

This event is the latest in a string of challenges for SriLankan Airlines, which has been grappling with financial difficulties and management changes. Earlier this year, several SriLankan Airlines flights at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake were delayed – one due to a reported sighting of a rat onboard – leaving serious questions over the national carrier’s long term future. Delays and cancellations were reportedly costing the carrier millions of dollars.

The airline’s newly appointed Board of Directors, led by Sarath Ganegoda as Chairman, faces the daunting task of stabilizing the carrier.

The new Sri Lankan government has reversed previous plans to privatize SriLankan Airlines, choosing instead to keep the airline under state control despite its financial woes.  Chairman of the National People’s Power Economic Council Prof. Anil Jayantha was quoted in the Daily Mirror saying the government believes that the national carrier should remain with the state given its significance for the development of tourism. He said the airline would not be sold off or divested as a result and claimed a new model for the improvement of its management would be considered instead. The previous Cabinet agreed to take over debts of US $ 510 million debts of the national carrier in a move to attract a private investor. It originally decided to sell at least 51 percent of the state-owned carrier.

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