I fly in srilankan air lines regularly from Sydney to Colombo .Compared to other airlines service Srilankan is on top and find the flights are full both ways.
Great and a humble personality from Moratuwa. I think he shared only a little from his knowledge he has much more. At this moment he can be the best Chairman for Air lanka to bring out from the mess we face now.
A genuine, honest Person , of Captain Elmos calibre, with a different way of thinking and a vision would definitely be able to resurrect Sri Lankan Airlines but the political interference and the outstanding loans, cast doubts on it.
Thanks for sharing the interview, very interesting and informative and highly professional and constructive message from a veteran Srilankan pilot. We must be proud of such professionals. I'm 79yrs., my last trip was Colombo to Riyadh on 7th March '24, on UL-265 one-time and Happy. At Riyadh airport, I over-heard some of the few Srilankan passengers passing sarcastic comments for one-time arrival. I shouted at them saying, "please don't condemn our national carrier. They kept quiet, pushing their trolleys.
Thank you Captain for very elaborate and intelligent responses. These people just ask questions without knowing the history of our airline and airline industry.
Very true. Most of these people have agendas and try to get answers to support their view. They don't try to find background information about the subject.
True, capt Elmo is a legend as a senior Pilot but he can only talk on UL from that perspective....comander of the aircraft....thats it. The airline has other dept that actually generate income....engineering , cargo, pax handling, commercial etc. Also Abisheka, the airport staff work 24/7 not for big pay bur more for pride. They dont have idle time or power to question management decisions with over 30-40 flights landing in a shift. This is/was not a typical SOE operation as people seem to imagine.
Thank you for bringing in a Pilot who is veteran and an expert in the cockpit and Human Factors. Abisheka, you were not prepared sufficienty nether adequately to pick on Capt. Elmo's aviation intelligence on above and below the wing knowledge or on his operational expirence. Pity he had to climb down to your awarness on aviation and explain things the way a child would understand. The tact and situvational awarness of the Capt' as a aviation trainer at this discussion is very much evident. Would be best if you do a follow up on this interview once you acquire the inside scoop on UL or his welfair work and pick on Capt Elmo's aviation intelligence as it will be an enlightenment and a wealth of knowledge for the public and aviation buffs.
Ha..hmm....aa..hmm...What a Sweet interview.... and as it say...The great Capt.. how he answer... The valive of a Chief Pilot and to run the Air line.. Thank you.. Sir..
Congratulations Capt. Elmo, iam very much touched to your valuable information of the Past and Present status of our "Srilankan" Airlines which became a most corrupted Airlines in the World. Iam very proud of you as a Cousin of mine who rendered a Great Services to our Country as well as to Singapore - Airlines, with your Intelligence and Knowledge. Best Regards, Mr Jayantha Fernando.
A wonderful person. A wonderful character. Author for many books like Sami's Story. Rainbows in Brail etc. Its a once in a life time chance meet such a marvelous man. May triple Gem bless you uncle Elmo and Aunty
I was driving him in Capt. Vajis car to Moratuwa. A person suddenly darted across the road which made me to shout at that person. Elmo shouted at me calling me a fool. He went on to explain that 90% of people in our country at that time have never at a vehicle wheel whereas in developed countries it the other way. Told me to drive carefully without expecting road decipline from pedestrians.
Great Legend, this captain is asset to Sri Lanka and proud to hear your stories.all the SAID informations are very true. AIR LANKA is the iconic symbol for Sri Lanka's air line, the logo is such beautiful, our dirty Nasty Politicians destroy the entire airline industry and the country. A ROYAL SALUTE TO CAPTAIN Hats off. Naseer from Dubai. god bless you captain.
As an ex pioneer colleague of Air Lanka I totally agree with Captain. Elmo Jayawardena's explanation, Due to the political interference today Sri Lankan Air Line is in bad books but during my tenure Air Lanka was prospering at a rate because there was no such political interference at all. Only the professionals were running the show. This is the gospel truth.
I used to live near by their house in late 1960s and rember Capt. Jayawardena who was the father of Capt. Elmo. A very nuce family and Elmo was with his brother most of the time and they had a very big dog at that time. We called Capt. Elmo "Aiya" and he was a very friendly athlete then. Theirs' was a very exemplary family then.
I don't think we don't need a national airline. Because why should we pay to run a bankrupt company. If we didnt have this company, there are so many airlines in this world who will enter SriLanka and we could have travelled at half the cost.
Good old Airlanka was the queen of Asia in the 80”s next to Singapore airlines , emirates Qatar never existed , any airline goes Thru this economic turbulence. Only way for srilankan airlines to survive should be no interference from the politicians. Only survival game is be a regional career for another airline like Singapore airlines ‘Emirates QR etc and slowly recover
Very good explanation.we are one of the best safest Airline in the world.Captain wordings are correct.Ground Ha n doing & Engineering makinana lot of profits.Eng maintenance doing lot of other Airline major maintenance. & Repsirs. According my knowledge No Airlines running with profit at the moment except budget Airlines.only Middle east Country Airlines running with profits as Their govements are pumping money because they need only staus.
Unrecoverable damage is done by Mahinda and his family. We were one of the best and best airlines these days but now we are not even able to compare with Ethiopian because they are with a lot compared to Africa
First name of the Sri Lankan airline was Air Ceylon .I can remember very well, when Gatwick Airport was opened for international flights..Before that Gatwick was a airport domestic flight. First international flight landed in Gatwick airport was a Air Ceylon flight. Local news papers published a special whole page article about the Air Ceylon. Air Ceylon was not a private company .Government servants could have flown to Jaffna on producing 3 railway warrants. Hence Air Ceylon was not a prvate enterprise. International flyers were given free breif cases written in bold letters Air Ceylon.
In the past, I used to eagerly anticipate my flights from the US to Colombo, especially the last leg with Sri Lankan Airlines (UL). It was a source of pride to support our national carrier. However, my recent trips from Singapore to Colombo and back left me dismayed by the evident deterioration in both service quality and ground operations. Despite online check-in options, staff seemed unaware of procedures, resulting in lengthy queues and inefficient processing at the airport. Flight delays were common, and the overall presentation, including inflight reading materials, appeared neglected. It's disheartening to witness such a decline in standards. Regardless, I will continue to support our national airline if we are assured that no compromises will be made regarding safety. I don’t really care if I get a free beer or not, or if I get biriyani instead of steak!
