Hon. (Dr.) Harshana Suriyapperuma - Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, I provide the following answers:

¶ 02 (a) (i) All aircraft operated by SriLankan Airlines are on lease. The number of leased aircraft is 22.

¶ 03 Of these 22 aircraft, 3 have remained unused for years while lease rentals of around USD 0.9 million per month per aircraft have been paid continuously.

¶ 04 - Wide-body aircraft (Airbus A330 family): 9 - Narrow-body aircraft (Airbus A320 family): 13 Total: 22

¶ 05 (ii) The destinations currently operated by SriLankan Airlines are as follows, grouped by region:

¶ 06 - Indian Subcontinent: Colombo (CMB), Bengaluru (BLR), Chennai (MAA), Cochin (COK), Delhi (DEL), Dhaka (DAC), Gan – Maldives (GAN), Hyderabad (HYD), Karachi (KHI), Kathmandu (KTM), Lahore (LHE), Madurai (IXM), Male (MLE), Mumbai (BOM), Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), Tiruchirappalli (TRZ) - Middle East: Abu Dhabi (AUH), Dammam (DMM), Doha (DOH), Dubai (DXB), Kuwait (KWI), Riyadh (RUH) - Europe: Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), Paris (CDG) - Far East: Bangkok (BKK), Guangzhou (CAN), Incheon – Republic of Korea (ICN), Jakarta (CGK), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Melbourne (MEL), Narita – Japan (NRT), Singapore (SIN), Sydney (SYD)

¶ 07 (iii) As at 14 January 2025, the workforce comprised 6,056 employees: - Main airline: 3,194 - Subsidiaries/ancillary business units: 2,862 Total: 6,056

¶ 08 (iv) To strengthen operations and achieve sustainable growth, the airline has prepared a five-year business plan for FY 2025/26 to 2029/30. The Ministry is in principle aligned with this plan and is providing necessary guidance.

¶ 09 Key focus areas include: - Operational profitability and reducing reliance on Government support. While operating results are currently positive, legacy debt service and lease/engine maintenance obligations hinder net profitability. Short-, medium- and long-term measures and required funding are being discussed with the Ministry, including balance sheet restructuring to achieve financial independence and self-sustainability. Increasing fleet and network scale is expected to improve unit costs via economies of scale. - Market share expansion and leadership on core trunk markets, particularly between Colombo and global hubs, targeting an increase in overall market share from 35% to 45% and raising revenue share from leadership markets from 37% to 60% by FY 2029/30, enabling greater pricing power and more resilient revenues. - Product investments to improve service quality, customer perception and brand reputation, including enhancements and repair capabilities, subject to funding availability.

¶ 10 (b) Does not arise.