Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says the US$3.25 billion debt of the national air carrier, SriLankan Airlines, is unsustainable. The debt, he said, is a “landmine” that could explode the economy of the whole country if not taken care of swiftly. To that end the Colombo government is looking for an international partner to manage and invest in the airline. The government has already allocated US$201 million to run the airline until October and will take over more of the debt to attract a partner. The airline has been told to cancel four Airbus aircraft it had ordered.
