Ports and Civil Aviation Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku told Parliament that six airlines, including SriLankan Airlines, have defaulted on embarkation levy payments totalling Rs. 27.6 billion to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
SriLankan Airlines accounts for Rs. 24.6 billion of the total. The remaining defaulters are AirAsia Berhad (Rs. 88 million), Aeroflot Russia (Rs. 508 million), Air India (Rs. 57 million), Thai Air Asia (Rs. 221 million), and Fits Aviation (Rs. 2,126 million), he revealed.
Responding to a question from opposition MP Kins Nelson, the minister said the CAA has initiated steps to recover the outstanding amounts, with notices sent via email and formal communication.
“Their bank guarantees have been liquidated to a certain extent to recover some of the dues. However, the issue is that our Aviation Act does not provide the necessary provisions to do so, and there are no provisions under the Finance Act to take legal action against them,” he said.
Therefore, a Cabinet paper has been submitted to introduce the required legal provisions, Kodithuwakku said. (Newswire)
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