Aviation minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the SriLankan Airlines incurred a loss of around Rs. 1,950 million due to delays of eight flights in recent days.
De Silva called for a special meeting yesterday (02) to discuss the issue with the management and representatives of trade unions of the airline.
He told them the continuous flight delays are unacceptable which not only cause financial losses, but also damage the reputation of the national carrier.
The minister also noted the flight delays inconvenienced passengers who missed connecting flights and other commitments.
During the meeting, representatives of the unions claimed that the delays were due to technical issues.
However, the management alleged the work-to-rule campaign by unions resulted in the delays which were not acceptable.
The minister said the airline is paying back a USD 1.2 billion loan with interest and incidents of this nature will further dent its finances.
He said additional payments to staff will be considered if there is a noticeable improvement in services and profits.
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