Today, I feel compelled to speak up — not as an outsider commenting from a distance, but as the former Senior Vice President – Operations of who worked closely with the people, systems, and operational realities of this airline.

Today, I see emotional posts, criticism, frustration, and strong opinions circulating about the airline and its leadership. I understand those emotions. Restructuring, uncertainty, and operational pressure affect people deeply. Behind every aviation employee is a family, a future, and years of personal sacrifice invested into this industry.

The feelings expressed by employees are real and should never be ignored.

But at the same time, the public also deserves to understand another side of the story.

If a family goes through a financial crisis, what do we normally do?

We reduce expenses.
We postpone expansion.
We cut unnecessary spending.
We restructure responsibilities.
We make painful decisions to protect the future of the family.

That does not mean the family has failed.
It means the family is trying to survive.

Today, I see FitsAir going through a similar phase.

Aviation is one of the toughest industries in the world. Airlines do not struggle because people stop working hard. In many cases, they struggle because the economics of survival itself become extremely difficult.

Fuel prices, lease obligations, operational disruptions, currency pressure, insurance costs, airport charges, competition from major international carriers, and post-COVID market realities have placed enormous pressure on airlines globally — especially smaller private operators.

Today, even in India, airlines are taking difficult measures to manage operational and financial pressures. Across the world, airlines are reducing costs, restructuring manpower, optimizing routes, delaying expansion plans, renegotiating leases, and trying every possible method to survive in an increasingly difficult industry.

This is not unique to FitsAir.

In such an environment, difficult decisions become unavoidable.

That does not mean leadership is heartless.
That does not mean management has abandoned responsibility.
And that certainly does not erase the years of hard work invested by the teams who kept the airline operational.

For nearly 25 years, FitsAir remained part of Sri Lanka’s aviation landscape. In an industry where even globally recognized airlines have collapsed, surviving for decades itself reflects resilience, operational capability, and commitment.

The airline created opportunities for hundreds of aviation professionals. Pilots, engineers, dispatchers, cabin crew, airport staff, and operational teams built their careers and industry experience through FitsAir. For many people, it was more than a workplace — it was where they learned aviation.

FitsAir was not simply operating flights. It was building aviation professionals, maintaining international connectivity, supporting airport ecosystems, creating employment, and proving that a privately-owned Sri Lankan airline could sustain operations in one of the world’s most competitive industries.

The airline also built valuable operational foundations over the years — experienced manpower, regulatory approvals, operational systems, route knowledge, trained crew, and aviation expertise that cannot be recreated overnight.

I had the opportunity to work closely with Mr. Seraj Mohamed, Mrs. Luciano Fernando, and Capt. Ruwan Vithanage during some of the most operationally challenging periods the airline faced, and I personally witnessed the level of responsibility and pressure carried by the leadership team during those times.

Today, I see some comments directed personally toward them. While every employee has the right to express emotions and opinions, it is also important to understand that leadership teams sometimes have to take disciplinary decisions or difficult operational actions when employees move outside organizational policies, procedures, or professional standards.

Such decisions are never easy in any airline.

In aviation, discipline, compliance, operational control, and accountability are not optional matters. Airlines operate within highly regulated environments where safety, procedures, and organizational control are critical for survival.

That does not mean leaders are against employees.
Very often, it means they are trying to protect operational integrity during extremely difficult situations.

Leadership in aviation is often misunderstood.

People usually see leadership during aircraft arrivals, expansion announcements, celebrations, and success stories. But true aviation leadership becomes visible during difficult periods — when operational pressure is constant and every decision carries financial, operational, regulatory, and human consequences.

As Head of Flight Operations, Capt. Ruwan carries the responsibility of balancing safety, compliance, operational continuity, crew realities, aircraft limitations, and commercial pressure every single day. Having had the opportunity to work closely with him, I have personally seen the level of operational responsibility and pressure carried within flight operations. Aviation professionals understand the weight of such responsibility of HFO . Leadership inside flight operations is not about popularity — it is about ensuring the airline continues operating safely under pressure.

Mrs. Luciano Fernando, during her role in human resources, carried the difficult responsibility of handling people and emotional stress.

Mr. Seraj Mohamed continues leading the cabin crew department while maintaining operational coordination and service continuity.

No leadership team is perfect. No organization passes through crisis without criticism. But there is also a difference between leadership making difficult decisions to sustain an airline and leadership abandoning responsibility altogether.

What I see today is not abandonment.

I see professionals continuing to carry operational responsibility under extraordinary pressure while trying to stabilize an airline facing the same global aviation realities impacting carriers across the world.

FitsAir still possesses valuable foundations — operational experience, trained manpower, route knowledge, regulatory approvals, infrastructure, and people who genuinely care about the future of the airline.

Sri Lanka needs strong private airlines. The country’s aviation future cannot depend on a single operator alone. Healthy private participation strengthens tourism, connectivity, employment, and national capability.

The global airline industry is changing rapidly. Airlines today must become leaner, smarter, operationally integrated, and financially disciplined to survive long-term. Those willing to adapt can still emerge stronger.

FitsAir’s current chapter should therefore not be viewed simply as a story of crisis.

It is also the story of an airline attempting to navigate turbulence while protecting its future.

And despite all the turbulence, I still believe in the resilience of aviation people.

Airlines are not built only with aircraft and money. They are built with people who continue showing up during uncertainty, pressure, criticism, and difficult times.

FitsAir’s story is still being written.

Like every airline that has faced turbulence, this phase too will eventually become part of its learning, restructuring, and rebuilding journey.

I sincerely hope the airline emerges stronger, more stable, and more sustainable — for its employees, its passengers, and for the future of Sri Lanka’s aviation industry.

Because sometimes survival itself is success.

And in aviation, the strongest crews are often built during the hardest flights.