Minister Defends $275K Jet Lease, Blasts $800K Monthly Losses from Past Deals

COLOMBO (News 1st); Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, defended the government’s recent decision to lease a new aircraft for SriLankan Airlines, highlighting both public enthusiasm and the financial prudence of the move.

Speaking in Parliament, Rathnayake said the newly leased aircraft, which arrived yesterday from France, was met with overwhelming public appreciation. “Even those who have never flown in their lives were visibly moved to see the plane. It shows how deeply people care about our national carrier,” he remarked.

The minister revealed that the lease agreement costs the government approximately $275,000 per month, a figure he described as reasonable when compared to the revenue potential of the aircraft. “This is not a large amount when you consider the income a plane can generate,” he said.

However, Rathnayake used the occasion to draw a sharp contrast with previous administrations, accusing them of corruption in past transportation deals. He alleged that during the Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe governments, significant financial misconduct occurred in Airbus procurement deals, which ultimately led to the cancellation of contracts and financial losses.

“In contrast to the $275,000 we’re paying now, we are still paying $800,000 per month for aircraft that were never delivered due to corrupt deals under previous regimes,” Rathnayake claimed. “That’s the equivalent of paying for three more planes we never received.”