INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Entebbe International Airport in Uganda last year.In a statement issued on 14 April, SriLankan Airlines said it received an air cargo order
to transport approximately 102 tons of printed material from Colombo to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda in February 2021.In April
last year, a local news outlet had raised questions with regard to the cargo manifests in an attempt to confirm what exactly the printed
material was.According to the newspaper report, SriLankan Airlines was issued a request under the Freedom of Information Act.However, citing
its inability to disclose the confidential information related to a commercial transaction between the airline and the customer, no related
information had been provided.Over the past few days, social media platforms were abuzz in Sri Lanka regarding the issue, with posts
alleging that the flights carried money belonging to some powerful individuals in the country.SriLankan Airlines, in its clarification,
noted that the consignment was purely commercial in nature and brought in much-needed foreign revenue to the airline and country at the
time.The national carrier went on to emphasize that this cargo order was undertaken only for commercial purposes.Taking to its official
Twitter account, SriLankan Airlines said the Ugandan government had ordered Ugandan currency notes from a global security printer who
operates several factories worldwide, including one in Sri Lanka, exporting to global markets.According to the national carrier, the
SriLankan aircraft which were underutilised at this time during the pandemic were chartered by a UK based freight forwarder
the first quarter of 2021.However, some foreign media outlets reported that this may be due to Uganda having taken advantage of its IMF
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
