National carrier SriLankan Airlines is currently witnessing an exodus of airline pilots, SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nutall said.

“It is a concern at the moment. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. The number of people leaving is starting to go up. This is something we are watching very carefully and are discussing with the board and ministry as well,” he said.

As a state-owned enterprise, the national carrier has restrictions on recruiting pilots to fill in the widening gap in human resources, which is adding to the woes it is facing.

SriLankan Airlines is at present losing its human resource assets to competing airlines across the world that are looking to expand capacity, so that frequencies can go back to pre-Covid-19 levels.

Nuttal asserted the need for the airline to expand its operations, so that it can reap the benefits of the growth in global tourism that is picking up after being impacted by the pandemic.