Air Vice Marshal Sumangalaa Dias has been appointed the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Airforce, the President's Media Division announced.

Dias replaces Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy who retired from service yesterday.

Educated at Nalanda College, Colombo, Dias enlisted in the Sri Lanka Air Force as part of its 13th Officer Cadet Intake on 13 December 1984.

On completing basic and advanced flight training, he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Pilot Branch on 15 August 1986.

He was actively involved in the Air Force operations against the LTTE during the Eelam war. Dias was wounded in action over Silavaturai during the opening stages of Eelam War II in 1990.