President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed the relevant authorities to appoint a special committee, led by the Presidential Secretariat, to investigate alleged corruption and irregularities at SriLankan Airlines.

The directive was issued during an extensive discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon, with the airline’s Board of Directors and representatives from all affiliated trade unions. The meeting lasted nearly four hours and focused on charting a sustainable future for the national carrier under continued government ownership, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a statement.

During the meeting, the President emphasized the need for collective responsibility in rebuilding the loss-making airline, highlighting that no further operational funds would be provided by the General Treasury. Instead, he stressed the importance of managing financial flows efficiently and improving institutional performance.

Dissanayake also noted that a unified effort is essential to revive SriLankan Airlines, and that it can no longer rely on Treasury funds, making it crucial to strengthen internal capacity and efficiency.

He further stated that the government is prepared to make all necessary sacrifices to steer the country out of its economic crisis, and called on airline staff to play their part in transforming SriLankan Airlines into a profitable entity.

The meeting also focused on the implementation of the airline’s latest business plan, developed in line with the government’s policy to retain ownership of the national carrier. Participants agreed on the critical need for cooperation between all stakeholders to achieve this goal, the statement added.

Trade union representatives pledged their full support to the government’s vision, affirming their shared commitment to making SriLankan Airlines a financially viable institution, the PMD said.

Present at the meeting were SriLankan Airlines Chairman Sarath Ganegoda, members of the airline’s Board of Directors, and representatives from several trade unions, including the SriLankan Pilots’ Association, the Airline Employees’ Association, the Licensed Aircraft Engineers’ Association, the SriLankan Airlines Aircraft Technicians’ Association, the Aircraft Engineers’ Association, the Sri Lankan Freelance Employees’ Association, the Inter-Company Employees’ Association, and the SriLankan Airlines Executives’ Association.