SriLankan Airlines appoints first Lady Captain

Marking a significant milestone in the Sri Lanka’s aviation history, SriLankan Airlines has appointed its first woman captain, Anusha Siriratne.

Anusha Siriratne, first lady captain for SriLankan Airlines

According to Manoj Gunawardena, CEO, SriLankan Airlines, said: ” This is a significant event for the national carrier. Sri Lanka has been in the forefront of women’s empowerment and it is certainly high time that a Sri Lankan woman took command of an airliner.”

Significantly, Capt. Anusha Siriratne and her husband Capt. Hemantha Siriratne also made history as the first husband-wife pilot duo in the country. Capt. Hemantha had received his captain’s appointment earlier this year.  “Women have lagged behind in the field of aviation in Sri Lanka, in comparison to the rest of the world. Even in neighbouring countries such as India, women have been airline captains for many years now,” Anusha said.

“It doesn’t make a difference whether you are a man or a woman when flying. The circumstances don’t change, the weather is the same, and the aircraft doesn’t know the difference!” she added.

Capt. Druvi Perera, Acting Senior Manager Flight Operations, said: “Every pilot at SriLankan is elated at this achievement. We now have several more female First Officers in the fleet, and hope to see them in command in a few years.”   Adding, Pradeepa Dahanayake, Head of Human Resources, said: “SriLankan has long been in the forefront of equal opportunity for women in this country, and Capt. Anusha’s appointment places the National Carrier once more in the limelight.”

SriLankan has several women Managers in senior positions in most of its nine divisions. It also has women in areas that have traditionally been dominated by men such as aircraft engineering.  Capt. Anusha joined SriLankan as a Cadet Pilot in June 1998. She served as a Second Officer on the Lockheed L1011 Tristar fleet and in 1999 was promoted to First Officer. At the time, the airline was phasing out its aging Tristars with the advent of the all-Airbus fleet, and she became a First Officer on the A320′s, A330′s and A340′s, flying to cities throughout SriLankan’s network of destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

She obtained her private pilot’s license at CDE Aviation, and her commercial pilot’s license in Texas. Prior to joining SriLankan Airlines, she had a short stint as an Instructor at Sky Cabs in Ratmalana.