Aviation History
Sri Lankan civil aviation began with Air Ceylon, founded in 1947 soon after independence, which was replaced in 1979 by Air Lanka after Air Ceylon's collapse. Air Lanka was rebranded SriLankan Airlines in 1998 when Emirates took a management stake and minority shareholding, later divesting in 2008. SriLankan Airlines, majority state-owned since then, has faced persistent financial losses — worsened by the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and the COVID-19 pandemic — and has been undergoing state-led restructuring amid Sri Lanka's broader economic crisis.
Air Ceylon was established as Sri Lanka's (then Ceylon's) first national carrier shortly after independence from Britain.
Following Air Ceylon's financial collapse, the government established Air Lanka as the new national flag carrier.
Air Lanka was rebranded SriLankan Airlines after Emirates acquired a minority stake and took over management of the carrier.
Emirates ended its management role and sold its shareholding back to the Sri Lankan government, returning SriLankan Airlines to full state control.
The April 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks caused a sharp collapse in inbound tourism, severely damaging SriLankan Airlines' finances.
Pandemic-related travel restrictions compounded SriLankan Airlines' accumulated losses amid Sri Lanka's wider economic crisis.
Amid Sri Lanka's sovereign debt crisis, the government advanced plans to restructure and potentially seek new investment for the loss-making carrier; the outcome remains subject to change.
SriLankan Airlines · Air Ceylon (defunct) · Air Lanka (defunct) · FitsAir
Wikipedia, SriLankan Airlines corporate history, Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority