Sri Lanka national carrier explains last year’s cargo operation to Uganda

Sri Lanka’s national carrier, SriLankan Airline in an announcement clarified the details of the aircraft carrying the printed material to the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda last year.

In response to the reports circulating in social media regarding the shipment, the airline said in February 2021, SriLankan Airlines received a freight order for the shipment of 102 tons of printed goods from Colombo to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

Responding to 2 issues raised online (1/5):

Refleeting (1/5) All SriLankan Airline's aircraft are leased – leases are expiring over the next few years and aircraft need to be returned to lessors. Replacement leases can be taken at significantly more favourable market rates.

— SriLankan Airlines (@flysrilankan) April 14, 2022

Refleeting (2/5) An RFP has been floated to gather proposals from established aircraft lessors on a transparent basis for used (not new) fuel efficient aircraft.

— SriLankan Airlines (@flysrilankan) April 14, 2022

The consignment was purely commercial in nature and brought in much-needed foreign revenue to the airline and country at the time.

SriLankan wishes to emphasize that this cargo order was undertaken for commercial reasons only, it added.

The details of the cargo consignment were withheld due to contractual obligations as per air cargo industry standards said the statement.

However, in response to concerns raised following its statement, the national carrier in a Twitter post explained that the Ugandan government ordered Ugandan currency notes from a global security printer who operates several factories worldwide, including one in Sri Lanka, exporting to global markets.

The airline said SriLankan aircraft which were underutilized at this time during the pandemic were chartered by a UK based freight forwarder. What is now being misunderstood is the Airline Pilots Guild proud announcement of this achievement of using unutilized pax aircraft, it added.