Govt To Take Control Of Sri Lankan Airlines

[ruwds]

Colombo (PTI): Sri Lankan Airlines will come under government control from April, ending weeks of uncertainty than began with revoking of visa for the airways British Chief after President Mahinda Rajapaksa's entourage failed to get bookings to get back home from London last month.

The British head of the Airlines Peter Hill got attached with the airline in 1998 after the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines took over its management.

While the government owns 51 per cent share in the Sri Lankan Airlines, the Middle Eastern airline has 43.6 per cent stakes in it.

Hill's work visa was revoked last month by the government here apparently over the national carrier's "refusal" to provide seats to Rajapakse and his delegation in an over-booked flight back home from London.

The President was rushing bome last week from London for the crucial third reading of the budget in Parliament after watching the passing out of his son Yoshitha from the Royal Britannia Naval College in Dartmouth.

But, the Sri Lankan Airlines reportedly refused to clear 35 seats for the government team on an over-booked flight from London via Maldives to Colombo on December 13.

The President eventually returned to Colombo on December 14 on a charter flight with Mihin Air, a budget carrier wholly owned by the Sri Lankan government.

However, Sri Lanka's Board of Investment (BOI) chief Dhammika Perera had said that Hill's work visa had been revoked in the "public interest" after the company refused to accede to several government requests.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200801071323.htm

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200801071022.htm

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/I...how/2643443.cms

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle3074462.ece

ps: check the comments on the timesonline link

Edited January 8, 2008 by ruwds

[The Don]

Colombo (PTI): Sri Lankan Airlines will come under government control from April, ending weeks of uncertainty than began with revoking of visa for the airways British Chief after President Mahinda Rajapaksa's entourage failed to get bookings to get back home from London last month.

The British head of the Airlines Peter Hill got attached with the airline in 1998 after the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines took over its management.

While the government owns 51 per cent share in the Sri Lankan Airlines, the Middle Eastern airline has 43.6 per cent stakes in it.

Hill's work visa was revoked last month by the government here apparently over the national carrier's "refusal" to provide seats to Rajapakse and his delegation in an over-booked flight back home from London.

The President was rushing bome last week from London for the crucial third reading of the budget in Parliament after watching the passing out of his son Yoshitha from the Royal Britannia Naval College in Dartmouth.

But, the Sri Lankan Airlines reportedly refused to clear 35 seats for the government team on an over-booked flight from London via Maldives to Colombo on December 13.

The President eventually returned to Colombo on December 14 on a charter flight with Mihin Air, a budget carrier wholly owned by the Sri Lankan government.

However, Sri Lanka's Board of Investment (BOI) chief Dhammika Perera had said that Hill's work visa had been revoked in the "public interest" after the company refused to accede to several government requests.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200801071323.htm

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200801071022.htm

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/I...how/2643443.cms

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle3074462.ece

ps: check the comments on the timesonline link

This is fairly Childish,

Sri Lankan airlines ceased to be "The National Carrier" as soon as management passed to Emirates and thus its a commercial entity and thus under no obligation to deprive its fee paying customers of seats just to accommodate the president. especially since he was on a private trip.

But equally childish is the staff at Sri Lankan should have realized the implications such a refusal would have, considering Sri Lanka is Sri Lanka, and made some arrangement to accommodate the president simply in the interest of maintaining good relations with the president and its government.

But even worse on the basis of above for a company to be nationalized ???????? come on, and to suspend the work visa of its chief executive !!! who is going to invest money in Sri Lanka if the government keeps resorting to such draconian rules !!! sheez,

[GTAm]

But even worse on the basis of above for a company to be nationalized ???????? come on, and to suspend the work visa of its chief executive !!! who is going to invest money in Sri Lanka if the government keeps resorting to such draconian rules !!! sheez,

Not to mention what if the Emir decides to suspend work visas of all Sri Lankans working in the UAE? Our economy will be sunk. Not that it's already not happening . An unlikely move on them but a poor pathetic nation like us need as many friends in high up places as we can possibly get.

[ruwds]

Talking to the BBC, Mr Hill said the incident "had some bearing" on Emirates' decision not to renew its contract.

"Basically the flights had been full for several months and we weren't able to accommodate that number of people - we were talking about 35 seats here.

"And so we asked them if there was a possibility that only the president and his close relatives could travel, and we probably would have been able to accommodate them with three or four seats.

"But obviously we weren't able or prepared to offload 35 previously booked customers, basically taking the whole of our premium cabin and 17 seats in economy, at that short notice. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7175527.stm

[Ripper]

Talking to the BBC, Mr Hill said the incident "had some bearing" on Emirates' decision not to renew its contract.

"Basically the flights had been full for several months and we weren't able to accommodate that number of people - we were talking about 35 seats here.

"And so we asked them if there was a possibility that only the president and his close relatives could travel, and we probably would have been able to accommodate them with three or four seats.

"But obviously we weren't able or prepared to offload 35 previously booked customers, basically taking the whole of our premium cabin and 17 seats in economy, at that short notice. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7175527.stm

good thing this CEO stood upto what's right and not kiss butt like everyone else does in SL... Not an easy job to stand up to these things these days...

what's worse is that certain stupid individuals knowing very well what a stupid thing this was...still keeps on supporting "their man" for the simple stupid reason of party politics...

this country will forever be in this hell hole situ if our people don't start looking beyond political parties and start working towards a national agenda and for the sake of the country as a whole.... will this happen in our life time... that's the question of the century

[The Don]

Talking to the BBC, Mr Hill said the incident "had some bearing" on Emirates' decision not to renew its contract.

"Basically the flights had been full for several months and we weren't able to accommodate that number of people - we were talking about 35 seats here.

"And so we asked them if there was a possibility that only the president and his close relatives could travel, and we probably would have been able to accommodate them with three or four seats.

"But obviously we weren't able or prepared to offload 35 previously booked customers, basically taking the whole of our premium cabin and 17 seats in economy, at that short notice. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7175527.stm

That actually sounds a very reasonable thing offer that was made.

Things just keeps getting better doesn't it ? I wonder which member of the family will be appointed the new CEO.

[Overdrive]

That actually sounds a very reasonable thing offer that was made.

Things just keeps getting better doesn't it ? I wonder which member of the family will be appointed the new CEO.

good one DON! This is absolutely ludicrous. man if it was me i wouldnt give a toss as to who's flying or wanted to fly on that flight, i wouldnt want to be offloaded if i'm a paying customer!! nor would anyone else. Rules are rules. Its hard accomodating short notice in peak season regardless of who they are, let alone the other 33 people.

Edited January 8, 2008 by Overdrive