Minister of Enterprise Development, Kabir Hashim said yesterday that eight international carriers have offered to enter into a partnership with the government to administer SriLankan Airlines and its subsidiary Mihin Lanka.
Several other companies have also expressed their interest in similar arrangements. This has made government extend the closing date for such expressions of interest by another month, he said.
“We were worried because we got no offers when we invited such expressions of interest. But, several airlines have in the past few days expressed their interest in such management partnerships. Even Japan’s ANA is interested and we have therefore extended the deadline by another month from today,” he said. Hashim’s statement came after discussions with potential investors in Jakarta.
Arjuna Mahendran, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs, was associated in the discussions.