Opposition MP Harsha de Silva has accused the government of mismanaging SriLankan Airlines, alleging the loss-making national carrier has asked for a further Rs. 100 billion in State funds while operating without permanent leadership for more than a year.

Speaking to a television channel on Saturday, the SJB legislator said SriLankan Airlines had submitted a request for an additional Rs. 100 billion despite continuing to run at a loss, Newswire reported.

De Silva said the carrier had been without a Chief Executive Officer for around one-and-a-half years and is presently operating without a chairman. He raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest involving a previous chairman appointed by the government and questioned the transparency of senior appointments.

“The public deserves answers on how SriLankan Airlines is being managed,” he said, arguing that funding, governance and leadership at the carrier require greater accountability.

The Rs. 100 billion figure cited by de Silva is an order of magnitude larger than the Rs. 10 billion top-up Aviation Minister Anura Kuranathilake disclosed last month when he confirmed the government is moving SriLankan to a public-private partnership model. The minister at that time said roughly Rs. 90 billion was earmarked for the carrier through to 2030 — close to Rs. 30 billion a year — on top of the fresh Rs. 10 billion request, framing continued taxpayer support as “unsustainable.” Neither the airline nor the Ministry of Aviation has formally commented on the higher Rs. 100 billion figure.

The chairmanship has been vacant since Sarath Ganegoda’s resignation on 31 March, and the CEO post has been held in acting capacity since March 2025. The shortlist for a permanent CEO was narrowed to four candidates in April, with the final selection awaiting Cabinet approval. Ganegoda’s earlier appointment had drawn conflict-of-interest scrutiny over his concurrent role as an executive director of Hayleys PLC, which has aviation-linked business interests.

SriLankan reported a group loss of Rs. 2,735 million for 2024/25 and accumulated losses of more than Rs. 632 billion by August 2025, leaving it technically insolvent. The Treasury restructured Rs. 91 billion of the carrier’s legacy debt in May.

Source: Newswire.