COLOMBO, 2 August — National carrier SriLankan Airlines announced yesterday it was shedding 1,000 jobs, including those of foreign pilots, following the loss of half its fleet in a Tamil rebel attack.
SriLankan Airlines said it laid off 711 employees Tuesday under a voluntary retirement scheme that was introduced last month, before the July 24 Tamil Tiger attack at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport.
Unlike in the first round, this time pilots too will be offered a golden handshake. SriLankan employs 195 pilots, of whom 78 are foreign nationals: Britons, Bulgarians, Indians and Filipinos. The expatriate pilots will be the first to be asked to leave and will receive three months notice, airline officials said.
The airline said it has temporarily cut off flights to and from the Middle East, India, Australia, Stockholm, Berlin, Milan and Paris. It also announced a fare hike of 10 percent, effective yesterday.
Airline sources said several airlines have threatened to pull out if enhanced security insurance cover was not provided for landing in Colombo. Cathey Pacific has already pulled out while Thai Airways was threatening to do so, they said.
