DGCA being replaced by an airline pilot

Director General of Civil Aviation H M Nimalsiri has been replaced by an airline pilot named Captain Themiya Abeywickrema after Cabinet approved the appointment.

Mr Nimalsiri has been the Director General of Civil Aviation and the Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka since its inception in 2002. He was informed of his replacement on Friday. The appointment was subject to Elections Commission approval as it is being made while a parliamentary poll is due.

Captain Abeywickrema once served as Mihin Lanka’s Chief Pilot Training and Standards. Apart from a stint at SriLankan Airlines, he has worked with Kingfisher Airlines (Indian), Himalaya Airlines (Nepalese), Wataniya Airways (Kuwaiti) and Jazeera Airways (Kuwaiti), his last place of work.

Mr Nimalsiri was given a six-month service extension in March which has now been cut short. He previously served as Assistant Director (Operations) in the Department of Civil Aviation since 1987. He pioneered drafting the new legislative framework for Civil Aviation and introduced institutional reforms which led to the formation of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka and the introduction of the Civil Aviation Bill.

He is trained in air transport, aviation safety and security, navigation services, safety auditing, safety management systems etcetera.