{"id":141236,"date":"2024-08-28T14:31:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T14:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=141236"},"modified":"2024-08-28T14:33:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T14:33:10","slug":"a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/","title":{"rendered":"A Short History of our National Carrier – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Short History of our National Carrier – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Elmo<\/p>\n

SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the mid 40\u2019s Sir John Kotelawala spearheaded a team that planned to start an airline in Ceylon. They first purchased 3 second-hand DC-3 Dakota aeroplanes and recruited flight crew and engineers plus other key people to commence operations for a new airline. They named the fledgling company Air Ceylon and christened the 3 aeroplanes after Lankan Queens, Viharamaha Devi, Seetha Devi and Sunethra Devi.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sri<\/span><\/p>\n

DC-3, the first type used by the National Career<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The initial operation was restricted to charter flights and the first scheduled trip took off on 10 December 1947 departing Ratmalana and flying to Jaffna and onwards to Madras. The return flight took the same route via Jaffna to Ratmalana.<\/span><\/p>\n

That December day in 1947, the National Carrier commenced scheduled passenger flying covering domestic and regional airports.<\/span><\/p>\n

Years rolled by and the Airline grew and in its infancy sought partnerships with bigger airlines to code share and fly to distant destinations. ANA, KLM, BOAC and UTA became partners of Air Ceylon in commercial flying operations. Such partnerships had their trickles of sweet-scented moments and benefits for a selected few. But the overall picture was cloud filled and turbulent to us Lilliputians of aviation. We survived, often exploited, but survived.<\/span><\/p>\n

Air Ceylon bought its own jet plane, a Trident, in 1969 and flew with local crew except for two expatriate captains.<\/span><\/p>\n

The swan\u2019s song for Air Ceylon came in 1979, when Air Lanka took over the mantle as the National Career and started operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

2 second-hand Boeing 707s were used at the inception of Air Lanka. The inaugural flight took off on 1 September 1979 from Katunayake – destination Bangkok.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sri<\/span><\/p>\n

Boeing 707 the first type used by Air Lanka on 1 September 1979<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Singapore Airlines handled a major part of staff training for the new company. They signed a management contract till the local administrators found their feet to take over the new airline. Fleet expansions took place adding Lockheed Tristars and a Boeing 737. Then the company took a giant step when they leased two Boeing 747\u2019s that belonged to Qantas Airways. Air Lanka was flying high, right-on track to compete and share the sky with other luminous airlines. They were the eagles in flight. But we too were climbing to be part of the hit parade of jet aeroplanes crisscrossing the airways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sri<\/span><\/p>\n

Boeing 747<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It was the 80s, and the cookie began to crumble. That was the time the storm clouds started gathering to swallow the whole country in an ethnic conflict. It affected the airline in an almost uncontrollable catastrophe. The worst was when a Lockheed Tristar boarding passengers to fly to Male was blown-up on the Katunayake tarmac. Seventeen people died and many others were seriously injured. The aircraft broke into two.\u00a0 It was undoubtedly the blackest day in the history of the National Carrier. Everything was in shambles. Hundreds of bookings got cancelled and the planes were flying almost empty. Passengers were frightened to fly with Air Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

If ever there was a reason to think of shutting down the Airline, that was it. But everyone from the Chairman to the lowest minion angrily fought back. It was a time to grit their teeth and collectively commit themselves to save their beloved company. The probability of closing down Air Lanka was never considered as a viable option. <\/span><\/p>\n

How the National Carrier survived in the aftermath of a bomb blasted aircraft and a totally tarnished reputation is indeed an exemplary lesson for all of us. Especially to those who vociferously demand the closing of the airline today.\u00a0 Those who make this negative clarion call perhaps may be the ones who made bad decisions for the airline\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sri<\/span><\/p>\n

Lockheed Tristar\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

After the tarmac carnage it took a long time for Air Lanka to crawl back to some semblance of normalcy. But it did. Amidst the flames of a raging internal strife that divided the country, UL flew back into the sky, and fought for its rightful place as the national carrier of Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

The operating aeroplanes changed from Boeing and Tristars to a modern \u2018fly-by-wire\u2019 glass cockpit Airbus fleet. The transition commenced in 1992.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sri<\/span><\/p>\n

Airbus A320<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

With the name change that came about in 1998, Air Lanka was obliterated from existence and the new name SriLankan Airlines got displayed everywhere.\u00a0 This was the Emirates era where the middle eastern giant took over the control of the National Carrier along with a code share agreement and a binding management contract.<\/span><\/p>\n

The question always loomed whether we lost or won with these two marriages with major airlines, SIA and Emirates? The decisions were solely made by the powers that were in the ruling seats. Toss a coin and call for the answer. Your guess is as good as mine to figure out who did what to whom?<\/span><\/p>\n

Air Ceylon became Air Lanka and then changed labels to SriLankan Airlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever the name may be, it is our proud National Carrier we are talking about. The 3 DC-3s and the 2 Boeing 707s were what we started with in 1947 and 1979.\u00a0 From there the airline grew to a fleet expansion of 29 jets. Today with Corona troubles and the slippery slopes of political instability, the fleet is down to 22 planes. Who is to be blamed? Let\u2019s toss that coin again. But this time I will make a call. The unbelievable financial losses Sri Lankan is currently straddled with has nothing to do with the proletariat employee.\u00a0 He and she sweated and toiled with commitment to keep the flag flying.\u00a0 The blame directly lies on much higher echelons. The ones who were and the ones who are and the ones who will come climbing the corrupted political ladders to hammer the final nails on the National Carrier\u2019s battered coffin.<\/span><\/p>\n

I must categorically state here that all those in high places are not guilty of the National Carrier\u2019s current financial dilemma. There are and there were always leaders with sterling qualities who did their best for the airline. But let\u2019s consider the other side of the coin. There are lots of caps fitting those who ruined the National Carrier. \u2018Shameless and blameless\u2019 they brought the airline down. We all know for whom those caps fit. We also know who their Godfathers were who sinned in silence watching the requiem of a proud and beautiful airline.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me change track and live to fly another day. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, people often talk about UL\u2019s flight delays. Every airline has delays. This \u2018usually late\u2019 proverbial black mark is a recurring decimal. It happens, but it happens in the best of airlines. Major carriers have big fleets to substitute for delayed flights.\u00a0 The UL fleet flies \u2018back-to-back\u2019 and keeps a tight schedule to maximize aeroplane utility. That is when a delay causes a \u2018domino effect\u2019 and disrupts many flights. This cannot be avoided.\u00a0 The silver line then is how best these delays are handled minimizing passenger frustrations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Never mind the \u2018Usually Late label.\u00a0 How about the \u2018Always Safe\u2019 label?\u00a0 That is a proud record for our National Carrier. Not a single fatality from December 1947 to date, a long 76-year-old track record where the National Carrier did not kill a single passenger.\u00a0 The bomb-blast lost lives, but that was not a flying incident. <\/span><\/p>\n

Can you think of any airline that has roamed the sky for more than seven decades and stayed \u2018lily white\u2019 as we did?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, the voices are heard \u2018loud and clear\u2019 and that too from high pedestals that the National Carrier should be shut down. It is purely a case of \u2018cutting your nose to spite your face\u2019 kind of action. The National Carrier is of paramount importance to an island country like ours. An independent country requires a national carrier as it is a symbol of being independent. Currently we are turning every possible stone to improve tourism and get more visitors. We need aeroplanes to bring them. Take a lesson from Iberian Airways, how they brought tourists to Spain. Or ask Singapore how 15 million tourists visit Singapore every year. SIA is a leading airline, and they fly a big slice of Singapore\u2019s tourist traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Closing the airline will not affect anyone who is trying to close the airline. That I know for sure. It will mostly be a direct hit on the 5,500 staff in all levels of UL who are in no way responsible for the losses made by the airline. The need then is for capable non-political leadership for the National Carrier.\u00a0 The people of Lanka must believe that the \u2018Taste of Paradise\u2019 is not lost, it is simply misplaced. Of course it needs a determined collective effort to find it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Come September, the leadership of the land may have new names and new faces heading the Diyawanna Oya Parade.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let us hope sanity will prevail and the airline that is ailing today will be resurrected to its full potential sans the tomfoolery of the so-called wizards. They often come with political labels but without a clue how to run and maintain a worthy airline<\/span><\/p>\n

If the truth be told, we have seen enough of this comedy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Capt Elmo Jayawardena<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

elmojay1@gmail.com<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click here to receive your free copy of the eLanka Newsletter twice a week delivered directly\u00a0to\u00a0your\u00a0inbox!<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Short History of our National Carrier – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024. In the mid 40\u2019s Sir John Kotelawala spearheaded a team that planned to start an airline in Ceylon. They first purchased 3 second-hand DC-3 Dakota aeroplanes and recruited flight crew and engineers plus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":141241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,31140],"tags":[69840,69825,69832,69841,69826,69836,2345,69829,69831,69843,69828,69827,69835,69838,69833,69839,69834,69837,69830,69824,69842],"class_list":{"0":"post-141236","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"category-capt-elmo-jayawardena","9":"tag-air-ceylon-dc-3-aircraft","10":"tag-air-ceylon-origins","11":"tag-air-ceylon-to-air-lanka","12":"tag-air-lanka-boeing-707","13":"tag-air-lanka-transformation","14":"tag-aviation-partnerships-sri-lanka","15":"tag-capt-elmo-jayawardena","16":"tag-evolution-of-srilankan-airlines","17":"tag-history-of-aviation-in-sri-lanka","18":"tag-national-airline-survival-story","19":"tag-national-carrier-of-sri-lanka","20":"tag-sri-lankan-airlines-45th-anniversary","21":"tag-sri-lankan-airlines-emirates-partnership","22":"tag-sri-lankan-airlines-financial-challenges","23":"tag-sri-lankan-airlines-milestones","24":"tag-sri-lankan-airlines-modern-fleet","25":"tag-sri-lankan-airlines-rebranding","26":"tag-sri-lankan-airlines-safety-record","27":"tag-srilankan-airlines-fleet-expansion","28":"tag-srilankan-airlines-history","29":"tag-srilankan-airlines-passenger-service","30":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nA Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena - eLanka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024.In the mid 40\u2019s Sir\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024.In the mid 40\u2019s Sir\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-28T14:31:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-28T14:33:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"394\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"A Short History of our National Carrier – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-28T14:31:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-28T14:33:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/\"},\"wordCount\":1565,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Air Ceylon DC-3 aircraft\",\"Air Ceylon origins\",\"Air Ceylon to Air Lanka\",\"Air Lanka Boeing 707\",\"Air Lanka transformation\",\"Aviation partnerships Sri Lanka\",\"Capt Elmo Jayawardena\",\"Evolution of SriLankan Airlines\",\"History of aviation in Sri Lanka\",\"National airline survival story\",\"National carrier of Sri Lanka\",\"Sri Lankan Airlines 45th anniversary\",\"Sri Lankan Airlines Emirates partnership\",\"Sri Lankan Airlines financial challenges\",\"Sri Lankan Airlines milestones\",\"Sri Lankan Airlines modern fleet\",\"Sri Lankan Airlines rebranding\",\"Sri Lankan Airlines safety record\",\"SriLankan Airlines fleet expansion\",\"SriLankan Airlines history\",\"SriLankan Airlines passenger service\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\",\"Capt Elmo Jayawardena\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/\",\"name\":\"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena - eLanka\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-28T14:31:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-28T14:33:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024.In the mid 40\u2019s Sir\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":394,\"caption\":\"sri lankan airlines\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"A Short History of our National Carrier – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"description\":\"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"eLanka\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\",\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eLanka admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena - eLanka","description":"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024.In the mid 40\u2019s Sir","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena","og_description":"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024.In the mid 40\u2019s Sir","og_url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/","og_site_name":"eLanka","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","article_published_time":"2024-08-28T14:31:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-28T14:33:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":394,"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"eLanka admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eLanka admin","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/"},"author":{"name":"eLanka admin","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd"},"headline":"A Short History of our National Carrier – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena","datePublished":"2024-08-28T14:31:36+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-28T14:33:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/"},"wordCount":1565,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg","keywords":["Air Ceylon DC-3 aircraft","Air Ceylon origins","Air Ceylon to Air Lanka","Air Lanka Boeing 707","Air Lanka transformation","Aviation partnerships Sri Lanka","Capt Elmo Jayawardena","Evolution of SriLankan Airlines","History of aviation in Sri Lanka","National airline survival story","National carrier of Sri Lanka","Sri Lankan Airlines 45th anniversary","Sri Lankan Airlines Emirates partnership","Sri Lankan Airlines financial challenges","Sri Lankan Airlines milestones","Sri Lankan Airlines modern fleet","Sri Lankan Airlines rebranding","Sri Lankan Airlines safety record","SriLankan Airlines fleet expansion","SriLankan Airlines history","SriLankan Airlines passenger service"],"articleSection":["Articles","Capt Elmo Jayawardena"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/","name":"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena - eLanka","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-28T14:31:36+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-28T14:33:10+00:00","description":"A Short History of our National Carrier - By Capt Elmo Jayawardena SriLankan Airlines is 45 years old on 1 September 2024.In the mid 40\u2019s Sir","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sri-lankan-airlines-5-e1724855166331.jpg","width":600,"height":394,"caption":"sri lankan airlines"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-short-history-of-our-national-carrier-by-capt-elmo-jayawardena\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"A Short History of our National Carrier – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","name":"eLanka","description":"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization","name":"eLanka","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":82,"caption":"eLanka"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd","name":"eLanka admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eLanka admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew"],"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141236"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141244,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141236\/revisions\/141244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}