05 September 2023; Colombo – SriLankan Airlines has become a hero to over 40 Sri Lankan migrant workers who are stranded in Dubai without the means to purchase an air ticket to return home, by coming to their rescue. SriLankan will be working closely with the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai to help these Sri Lankans out of their predicament and back home to their loved ones by giving them a safe and highly affordable passage to Sri Lanka.
The stranded workers will be flown from Dubai to Colombo in groups. The first group arrived in Sri Lanka on UL 226 on 23 August 2023 and were overjoyed to reunite with their families.
“We saw no way out and felt hopeless, but then SriLankan Airlines and the Consulate General’s Office in Dubai offered to help us, and I will forever be grateful to them. I am so happy to be in Sri Lanka again,” said one relieved returnee.
SriLankan Airlines’ duty of service to Sri Lanka and its people runs deep. The airline has especially been persistent in lending support during times of crisis, often being the sole solution for Sri Lankans. SriLankan Airlines operated nearly 300 rescue mission charter flights from various locked-down international cities including Wuhan, flying over 70, 000 stranded Sri Lankans home during the pandemic, and the airline’s promise to extend a wing if the future calls for it is a given.