Sri Lanka’s new government plans to privatize Sri Lankan Airlines, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a televised address to the nation on Monday. The carrier lost 45 billion rupees ($124 million) in the year ending March 2021. These measures are part of the Wickremesinghe administration, even as officials are forced to print money to pay government salaries.
According to Flightradar24, the national carrier, which has a fleet of 25 Airbus SE aircraft, flies to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, as well as South and Southeast Asia.
Wickremesinghe – less than a week into the job – said he was forced to print money to pay salaries, which would put pressure on the country’s currency.
Wickremesinghe said, “The next few months will be the toughest months of our lives. We should immediately set up a national assembly or political body with the participation of all political parties to find solutions to the present crisis.”
Wickremesinghe took over as prime minister on Thursday as the country has not had a government since Monday when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s elder brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse resigned after violence erupted after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters.
Sri Lanka Two unpaid foreign bonds are slipping into a default with the grace period ending Wednesday, the latest blow to a country troubled by economic pain and social unrest.
The government has made several arrests and repeatedly imposed curfews. The political crisis began in late March when people hurt by prolonged power cuts and essential shortages took to the streets demanding the government’s resignation.