SriLankan ordered costly VIP kit

Ex-SC judge: ‘Do we need Air Force One like facilities?’

By Rathindra Kuruwita-February 28, 2019, 11:35 pm 

SriLankan Airlines had requested Airbus a VIP kit in 2013 though it was earlier stated that it was Airbus’s idea to offer us the kit as a token of appreciation, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka was informed, yesterday.

Senior State Counsel Fazly Razik, who led the evidence presented the PCoI with a document, from Airbus which indicated that it was UL that had requested the VIP kit.

"This shows that it was UL which requested a VIP kit and two VIP aircraft, in which the kit can be fixed," he said.

Razik then asked Mayuka Ranasinghe, Head of Group Legal Affairs, who gave evidence yesterday, whether such a kit would affect the commercial activities of the aircraft as the Kit required the removal of a number of seats. The VIP kit included two beds, conference facilities, sitting area and space for security. "I don’t know what the CEO and the Senior management thought," Ranasinghe said. "Maybe they wanted to use it in a charter flight."

Chairperson of the PCoI, retired Supreme Court Judge, Anil Gooneratne commented that SriLankan must think about the situation of the country before thinking of creating Air Force One like facilities. "Why do we want VIP kits on our planes? Is it a necessity? We are a third world country. Even though Colombo is now colourful, we have a long way to go," he said.

Earlier this week SriLankan officials told the PCoI that Airbus offered SriLankan Airlines a VIP kit, worth USD 15 million, for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s use, as a goodwill gesture. It was to be installed to A330 – 300 aircraft during the re-fleeting programme in 2013.