Sri Lankan Airlines trains 42 more Aircraft Engineers and Technicians

(May 29, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) SriLankan Airlines recently completed comprehensive training programmes for 35 aircraft Technicians and seven Aircraft Engineers, in its continuing efforts to provide opportunities for young men and women to embark upon rewarding careers as professionals in the international aviation industry.

Two Sri Lankan women students and seven foreign students – five from the Maldives, and one each from Oman and India - were among those who successfully completed the 2-year Basic Course in Aircraft Maintenance. One young woman, a Sri Lankan, was among those in the Aircraft Engineering programme, which is also a 2-year programme.

Sri Lankan Technical Training is one of the few companies in Asia to hold the globally recognised EASA 147 certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), to provide training in Aircraft Maintenance to foreign and local students.

Harsha Priyadarshan, Technical Training Manager, said: “I am proud to say that this is the third consecutive course we have conducted since 2003. This programme is designed and conducted as per EASA 66 guidelines. It is also approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka and the Civil Aviation Department of the Maldives.”

Another batch of students is already undergoing the next Aircraft Technicians Programme which began in June 2007. The next new batch is scheduled to commence in June 2008.

A ceremony was held at the Airport Garden Hotel recently at which all of the participants were presented certificates upon completion of the two-year programmes. D.A.G. Jayasuriya, Senior Manager Aircraft Engineering at SriLankan, was the Chief Guest. Parakrama Dissanayake, Acting Director General of Civil Aviation, gave the keynote address.

The Technicians course provided a complete training with 1,200 hours of theory and another 1,200 hours of practical training in workshops, base maintenance and line maintenance. Eighteen students were in the Mechanical stream including the two ladies, and 17 in the Avionics stream.

The Basic Course in Aircraft Engineering is also a 2-year full-time programme, designed using EASA 66 guidelines for theoretical modules and specific requirements of SriLankan’s Aircraft Engineering Department. The seven trainees, five of them in Mechanical and two in Avionics, underwent practical training in all aspects of aircraft engineering. They included one young lady in the Mechanical stream.
- Sri Lanka Guardian