SriLankan Airlines clarifies recent reports on five grounded aircraft

SriLankan Airlines today (April 21) clarified the circumstances of the five grounded aircraft in response to certain recent ‘misleading’ news items that have been published on the subject.

In a statement, the national carrier said the aircraft, belonging to the Airbus A320 NEO family, are currently awaiting engines after shop visits as the global industry faces a shortage of engines and long lead times for engine repairs for this type of aircraft as a result of a technical reliability issue.

SriLankan Airlines noted that it is currently working with its suppliers to work out a solution and the global supply of engines is also expected to improve in the months ahead.

The aircraft are on ground owing to a global shortage and not because of a lack of finances as incorrectly stated in some news reports, SriLankan Airlines affirmed.