The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism has announced that the Indian government has extended its support to facilitate air travel for Sri Lankans who are willing to leave Iran.

According to the Ministry, any Sri Lankan currently in Iran and wishing to depart can contact the Indian Embassy in Iran through the official Telegram channel or via the following phone numbers:

+98 901 014 4557

+98 912 810 9115

+98 912 810 9109

In addition, further information can be obtained by contacting the Sri Lankan Embassy in Iran using the following phone numbers:

Sri Lankan Embassy in Iran:

+98 939 205 5161

+98 991 205 7522

+98 936 636 0260

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa has rejected a statement made by Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake, who claimed that the Rajapaksa administration had leased a service area on the Southern Expressway for 99 years at just Rs 10,000.

Responding via a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Rajapaksa clarified that the service area in question was leased by the Road Development Authority (RDA) to Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC)—both of which are State-owned entities.

He urged Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake to verify the facts from the SLIC, which operates under the purview of the Ministry of Finance, and confirm the legitimacy of the arrangement.

The allegation by Rathnayake was made in Parliament yesterday (20), where he stated that a service area established in the Walipenna region along the Southern Expressway had been granted by the Rajapaksas for an extended lease of 99 years at a nominal fee of Rs 10,000.

Rathnayake made the statement while responding to a question raised by MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena regarding the proposed construction of the Pelpola Interchange in the Millaniya area.

In a startling revelation made in Parliament, Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Rathnayake yesterday alleged that the service area of the Southern Expressway was leased for a mere Rs. 10,000 for a 99-year period during the tenure of the Rajapaksa administration.

Addressing the House, he asserted that because the Southern Expressway was the first of its kind in the country, initial designs and feasibility studies were vulnerable to alterations, many of which he claimed were made by officials aligned with Rajapaksa for personal or political gain.

Minister’s revelations came in response to questions raised by Opposition MPs Rohitha Abeygunawardena and Ajith P. Perera.

Rathnayake claimed that key associated linked to the Rajapaksa not only benefitted from the undervalued leader agreements, but also actively obstructed the development of other officially approved service areas along the expressway.

“There were several discrepancies during the contraction of the Sothern Expressway with many decisions going against the original feasibility studies. Billions of rupees have been wasted through this project,” he charged, citing what he describes as politically motivated interference is one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects.

Among the irregularities, he pointed to the construction of two expressway interchanges, Kapuduwa and Bedigama which he said were not part of the original expressway design to facilitate east access to politicians.

“Kapuduwa interchange, located just 5 kilometres from Godagama in Matara facilitates travel only to and from Colombo, while Bedigama interchange is 6 kilometres away from Beliatta. Both of these were included due to political influence of the regime at the time,” he added.

According to the Minister, each interchange cost the State over Rs. 1 billion or a normal one at least Rs. 600 million.

David Peiris Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, a newly established domestic airline and a subsidiary of the David Peiris Group, has officially received its Aircraft Operator Certificate (AOC) and operations specifications (Ops-Specs) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) to operate scheduled domestic passenger flights after obtaining the Airline License.

As part of the certification process, the airline recently conducted a proving flight to demonstrate its operational readiness and capability for launching commercial services on the Colombo–Jaffna route. This flight marked the fourth phase of the AOC certification process as a critical step in assessing an operator’s capability prior to final authorization.

Following a successful evaluation, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) authorized that the David Peiris Aviation to commence regular schedule flights, Charter Flights, Private Flights and Aerial Works subjected to full compliance with all applicable aviation safety and security regulations.

The application and inspection process were thoroughly reviewed by CAASL’s Civil Aviation Inspectors, under the guidance of Air Vice Marshal Sagara Kotakadeniya (Retd.), DGCA & CEO, and the leadership of Capt. Daminda Rambukwella, Deputy Director General (Flight Safety Regulations) and Actg. Director (Air Operations). The comprehensive inspection covered flight safety standards, airworthiness of aircraft, organizational structure, qualified personnel as post holders, operational readiness ground handling and security arrangements, and compliance with documentation requirements.

The AOC was officially handed over to AVM O. D. N. L. Perera (Retd.), Accountable Manager of David Peiris Aviation (Pvt) Ltd by AVM Sagara Kotakadeniya (Retd.), DGCA & CEO. Capt. Daminda Rambukwella, Deputy Director General (Flight Safety Regulations) and Actg. Director (Air Operations), Mahilal Dushantha Rathnayake, Director (Aircraft Registration & Airworthiness), and other senior officials from David Peiris Aviation also attend to this event.

All aviation service providers including AOC holders are reminded to uphold the highest standards of air safety and security and operate strictly within the approved regulatory framework to develop a sustainable development in Civil Aviation.