Why Sri Lankan Air will never profit
(Lanka-e-News- 24.Dec.2013, 11.30PM) It is clear that Sri Lankan Airlines, in spite of many outcries from COPE, opposition members and Minister Dew Gunasekera, will never ever come out of the red. This is according to our sources from Katunayake and we will list some of the main reasons why it will not be so.
The first citizen MARA thinks this airline is his private property and when ever he travels overseas for family matters, official trips, jolly trips and uninvited funerals, he takes a largest upgraded A340 aircraft, while another is kept on stand –by in Katunayake on ground, till he is lands in the destination or on the return till he returns to the country. The National airline shamefully running on people funds operating less than 20 aircraft, When MARA travels, airline have to run minus two aircraft, leaving all booked passengers all over their network with long delays at airports and most of the times accommodated in hotels and even transferred to other airlines. Our airline insiders are asking will the Oneworld member passengers accept these long delays after the national carrier joins the alliance this year. These interruptions costing the airline millions of rupees over one day and the delays’ are then, continues for a week, airline having to pocket out millions of rupees and while in the parliament the opposition blindly screams for loss making.
Another area where the company is losing money is the recruiting spree. When Emirates was Booted out of the merger, Sri Lankan had 4800 staff and now the numbers has gone up to nearly 6800 and still growing. Many new positions are added to the company, at times creating new slots. These positions are made by the family’s’ wimps and fancies and no one can protest. A head of security position was created and a retired Major Gen was taken in, costing the company over a million rupees a month package. Every G10 manager newly recruited or promoted on political affiliation is costing the company over Rs.150000 on allowance and benefits alone, without the salary. So many new positions are just created with no airline knowledge or any international norms that the airline followed for many years .The other main ignorance in the making is outsourcing functions like finance, revenue, pricing ,web booking departments, but with no reduction in staff numbers.
We also have a fondness in looking after the friends of the family. The former CEO, brother of Presidents’ favourite puppy, is having an all paid holiday in UK, doing sweet nothing for Sri Lankan Airlines. The man is costing the airline over 2 million a month, and sits in the Sri Lankan Embassy, supposedly promoting Sri Lanka as a destination and the National Airline. The figures show that UK has the lowest tourists’ growth to Lanka and one of the least profitable routes of the airline. Needless to mention, that he destroyed the airline, half way before leaving it to the present pack.
Then let’s talk of the shrewd way the present CEO makes his accounts fatter in Australia and Dubai. Our insiders say that he gave out the airlines credit card ticketing - Web booking, ticketing business to a local party on a profit share basis. With a monthly income of Rs.800-900 lacks, a cool Rs.8-9 million is shared amongst the partners. This deal was apparently forced, against the wishes of finance and Audit department. Now the Edge group which runs this has their own Hotels, real Estate and property business running in the country, in less than 2 years. Sri Lankan insiders say there is a connection to a powerful son too in this racket, and the rogue management is pushing staff to save more and bring more profits. In the coming weeks will give you many inside stories from Sri Lankan, how the tin-tin looking Chairman got the Rolex watch, and how the known swindler, CEO got his new house in Barnes place, Colombo 7. The workers now say “Make money but don’t kill the airline- the pride of the nation that has kept so many people alive for years”.
(Lanka-e-News- 24.Dec.2013, 11.30PM) It is clear that Sri Lankan Airlines, in spite of many outcries from COPE, opposition members and Minister Dew Gunasekera, will never ever come out of the red. This is according to our sources from Katunayake and we will list some of the main reasons why it will not be so.The first citizen MARA thinks this airline is his private property and when ever he travels overseas for family matters, official trips, jolly trips and uninvited funerals, he takes a largest upgraded A340 aircraft, while another is kept on stand –by in Katunayake on ground, till he is lands in the destination or on the return till he returns to the country. The National airline shamefully running on people funds operating less than 20 aircraft, When MARA travels, airline have to run minus two aircraft, leaving all booked passengers all over their network with long delays at airports and most of the times accommodated in hotels and even transferred to other airlines. Our airline insiders are asking will the Oneworld member passengers accept these long delays after the national carrier joins the alliance this year. These interruptions costing the airline millions of rupees over one day and the delays’ are then, continues for a week, airline having to pocket out millions of rupees and while in the parliament the opposition blindly screams for loss making.
Another area where the company is losing money is the recruiting spree. When Emirates was Booted out of the merger, Sri Lankan had 4800 staff and now the numbers has gone up to nearly 6800 and still growing. Many new positions are added to the company, at times creating new slots. These positions are made by the family’s’ wimps and fancies and no one can protest. A head of security position was created and a retired Major Gen was taken in, costing the company over a million rupees a month package. Every G10 manager newly recruited or promoted on political affiliation is costing the company over Rs.150000 on allowance and benefits alone, without the salary. So many new positions are just created with no airline knowledge or any international norms that the airline followed for many years .The other main ignorance in the making is outsourcing functions like finance, revenue, pricing ,web booking departments, but with no reduction in staff numbers.
We also have a fondness in looking after the friends of the family. The former CEO, brother of Presidents’ favourite puppy, is having an all paid holiday in UK, doing sweet nothing for Sri Lankan Airlines. The man is costing the airline over 2 million a month, and sits in the Sri Lankan Embassy, supposedly promoting Sri Lanka as a destination and the National Airline. The figures show that UK has the lowest tourists’ growth to Lanka and one of the least profitable routes of the airline. Needless to mention, that he destroyed the airline, half way before leaving it to the present pack.
Then let’s talk of the shrewd way the present CEO makes his accounts fatter in Australia and Dubai. Our insiders say that he gave out the airlines credit card ticketing - Web booking, ticketing business to a local party on a profit share basis. With a monthly income of Rs.800-900 lacks, a cool Rs.8-9 million is shared amongst the partners. This deal was apparently forced, against the wishes of finance and Audit department. Now the Edge group which runs this has their own Hotels, real Estate and property business running in the country, in less than 2 years. Sri Lankan insiders say there is a connection to a powerful son too in this racket, and the rogue management is pushing staff to save more and bring more profits. In the coming weeks will give you many inside stories from Sri Lankan, how the tin-tin looking Chairman got the Rolex watch, and how the known swindler, CEO got his new house in Barnes place, Colombo 7. The workers now say “Make money but don’t kill the airline- the pride of the nation that has kept so many people alive for years”.
