21 April 2023; Colombo – SriLankan Airlines would like to clarify the circumstances of the five grounded aircraft in response to certain recent misleading news items that have been published on the subject. The aircraft, belonging to the Airbus A320 NEO family, are currently awaiting engines after shop visits as the global industry faces a shortage of engines and long lead times for engine repairs for this type of aircraft due to a technical reliability issue. SriLankan Airlines is currently working with its suppliers to work out a solution and the global supply of engines is also expected to improve in the months ahead. SriLankan Airlines can therefore confirm that the aircraft are on ground owing to a global shortage and not because of a lack of finances as incorrectly stated in some news reports.