SriLankan Airlines appoints new CEO
View(s):SriLankan Airlines has announced the appointment of Capt. Suren Ratwatte as the airline’s new Chief Executive Officer, with effect from October 2015. He takes over from Rakitha Jayawardena, Director who served as pro-tem CEO since March until an appointment was made.
The earlier CEO was Kapila Chandrasena who stepped down in March after an official board of inquiry blamed him and some other officials of many irregularities at the airline. Capt. Ratwatte is an airline pilot with over 30 years of experience in the field whose first appointment was with SriLankan’s predecessor, Air Lanka in 1984. Thereafter, he joined Emirates in 1989, where he held several positions in the company. With over 18,000 flying hours in a number of different types of aircraft, including the Boeing B-777 and Airbus A380, he has been deeply immersed in airline operations for many years, the national carrier said in a media release.
Capt. Ratwatte is a holder of Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the author of several published works.
He is also a well-known Human Factors researcher and practitioner, having published a number of articles and essays in the field. His expertise includes a variety of senior instructional and management roles in airlines, and most recently was the Human Factors Manager of Emirates Airlines.